A special delivery for North Berwick residents from their departing postie

Jamie Gillies delivered his last letter on August 15, moving to work with his brother Mark at his landscaping business Gillies Tree and Lawn Care, starting his first day there two days later.

The 37-year-old, who started his career at Royal Mail at the age of 17, was born and brought up in North Berwick, attending Law Primary School and North Berwick High School.

However, he moved to Dunbar seven years ago and now lives at South Belton Farm.

On his daily round in and around North Berwick, Jamie served Dunbar Road, Ben Sayers Park, Rhodes Park, Lime Grove, Tantallon Road, Heugh Road, the Heugh Wamphry Farm, Leuchie estate, Balgone estate, Sheriffhall Farm, Red Side Farm, Glegornie Farm, Rhodes Farm, Bass Rock View, Castleton Farm, Halfland Barnes, Auldhame, Seacliff, Scougall and Whitekirk Newmains.

Initially, Jamie would start work at 4.45am and finish at 10.30am; however, in later years his working hours changed to 7am-3.30pm.

As a way of saying goodbye to the hundreds of households he served, he delivered each of them a parting note.

It read: “Hey guys! Just a wee note to say that I am leaving Royal Mail after 20 years and joining my brother at Gillies Tree and Lawn Care.

“It has been a pleasure serving you over the years and I wish you all the best for the future.

“I hope to see you again in a garden near you!”

Residents of Lime Grove responded by drawing a large message in chalk on the road as a goodbye to their local postie (see image below).

It read: “Jamie, best postie. Thank you from us all.”

Jamie, a keen gardener, said: “I thought it would be best to say something and let them know.

“I had been thinking about leaving for a while. Mark was getting too busy and needed to take on someone else, or I could go and work with him.”

Ahead of his start date, Jamie said he was looking forward to his new venture but was also a “bit nervous”, adding that it was a “scary prospect” but a “change of scenery”.

He added: “I enjoyed being a postman, it was a good job, but it’s nice to do something different.

“You feel part of the community and part of their family.

“I’ve known all of them for the best part of 15 years; you feel connected with them.”

One bizarre story he remembered from his career involved being stopped by the police, who asked him if he had seen a naked man running about.

Jamie said: “I was a bit miffed as a naked man then came walking round the corner and subsequently was bundled into the police car.”

He reflected on his years delivering exam results to nervous youngsters, adding that he was also, thankfully, never bitten by a dog.

Jamie added a thanks to Paul Housing, manager at the North Berwick depot, as well as colleagues Neil, Jason and Evelyn, all of whom have worked alongside Neil since he first started 20 years ago, as well as all of his customers for giving him a great send-off.