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Royal Mail will now collect parcels for delivery right from your doorstep for 72p

The brand new 'Parcel Collect' service launches today across the UK.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 21st October 2020
Royal Mail / Frank Augstein

Royal Mail is shaking up its offering by introducing a brand new service which will see postal workers collect parcels right from your doorstep for the very first time.

The new service – which launches across the UK today – is known as Parcel Collect.

Put quite simply, it means people will be able to send parcels without the need to leave the house, as customers who make use of the service will be asked to pay a fee of 72p on top of standard postage costs for every parcel they send, with pre-paid return items only costing 60p each.

Royal Mail said the collection service was one of the biggest changes to the daily round of postal workers since the postbox was launched in 1852 and he first parcel post was introduced in 1883.

It comes as the national postal service’s response after it has struggled with the shift away from letters to parcels as firms rely more on email for routine communications and consumers become more comfortable with online shopping and returning items.

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So, how does the service work then?

Well, postal workers can now collect up to five items per customer per day, every day of the week (apart from Sundays) and packages must be no bigger than 61cm x 46cm x 46cm in volume, and 20kg in weight.

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Upon declaring the size and weight of the package, customers will then be able to work out the correct cost of postage for their item and print out a pre-paid label.

Items will be collected from the door, or from a safe place on the property chosen by the customer.

Customers will be able to make bookings only via Royal Mail’s “click and drop” online service up to five days in advance until midnight on the day before collection, and then the service will provide collection slots of between two and four hours.

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You can head to the Royal Mail website here, or use the Royal Mail app and opt for ‘Parcel Collect’ to use the service.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated the shift to online shopping – with restrictions closing non-essential high street shops for months during 2020 – and Royal Mail reported a £139m increase in total revenue in the five months to 30th August, as circumstances caused a surge in parcel deliveries.

Parcel volumes during that period rose by a third year-on-year, with an increase of 177 million parcels.

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Inside the Grade I-listed Cheshire mansion currently on the market for an eye-watering £11.4m

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A Grade-I listed manor house has gone on the market over in Cheshire, and to say it’s absolutely stunning is a serious understatement.

Oh… but you will need a spare £11.4 million to fork out on it though.

Of course, it goes without saying that the vast majority of people reading this article right now won’t see a sum of £11.4 million ever in their lifetimes, and properties of this size and stature are not the kind we’ll ever get to call home, so the next best thing we can do is just snoop around on good old Rightmove and have a nosey at all the jaw-dropping pictures instead.

Like us, if you’ve got no shame in admitting that one of your favourite internet pastimes is looking up houses you can’t afford in places you’ll probably never visit, then allow us to introduce you to this absolute beast of a mansion in Cheshire.

We’re talking a Grade I-listed, 10-bedroom, has its own library, lake, tennis courts, self-contained lodges, a venue for hosting weddings and corporate events, and is sat in extensive farmland kind of ‘beast’.

This is Dorford Hall, in the Nantwich area of south Cheshire / Credit: Savills

This is Dorford Hall.

Nestled in a secluded, yet still very easily-accessible corner of Nantwich in south Cheshire, the expansive Dorfold Hall Estate boasts a seriously-stunning Grade I-listed Jacobean manor house surrounded by breathtaking Victorian gardens that’s been immaculately-restored and renovated by the current owners over several years to now offer accommodation for modern living within a historic setting.

While the estate may now serve the dual purpose of being a cherished family home, and a picturesque venue for weddings and corporate events, that’s now how it started life in the 17th century.

Built in 1616 and designed in the characteristic Jacobean style, the Grade I-listed Hall is steeped in local historical and architectural significance – with rumours claiming its construction was even expedited to host King James I during a royal visit.

It’s a Grade I-listed manor estate rumoured to have been built for King James I to stay in during the 17th century / Credit: Savills

Now, estate agents Savills call it a “fine example of Jacobean architecture”, all thanks to its symmetrical design, red and blue brick diapering, stone detailing, slate roofing, large mullioned windows, ornate chimneys, and gables.

Accommodation is arranged over three floors, with the spacious reception rooms, bespoke kitchen and dining room, library, billiards room, and the separate lodges, cottages, and apartments for housekeepers, being just a few of the stand-out features it has to offer.

And the wow-factor doesn’t stop with indoors either, as the outside is arguably even more impressive.

It’s currently on the market for £11.4 million / Credit: Savills

Once you’ve entered the estates grounds through the electric gates and make your way down the impressive tree-lined drive, you’ll find acres of mature and historic gardens, new lawn and garden irrigation systems, several outbuildings, and even an enviably-beautiful walled garden with its very-own wildflower meadow, lake.

As mentioned there’s even tennis court within the grounds too, as well as a restored Clock Tower, and the small matter of a RIBA award-winning avant-garde event space and Coach House that’s licensed to hold civil ceremonies.

We know we’ve used the word ‘impressive’ quite a few times throughout this, but what’s one more… it’s all pretty impressive, right?

Read more:

Dorford Hall is currently on the market with Savills for a whopping £11.4 million, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the property company to arrange a viewing.

Or take the cheaper route instead and just have a nosey at the Rightmove link here.

Featured Image – Savills

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New narrators to take over from Sir David Attenborough for special episode of Planet Earth III

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The BBC has announced that some new narrators will be taking over from Sir David Attenborough for a special episode of Planet Earth III.

Sir David Attenborough is one of the most beloved British public figures of all time.

The BBC stalwart has been narrating nature documentaries for over 70 years now, and is known all across the world as the voice of nature – but, as our natural world faces even greater challenges than ever before, the broadcaster has claimed that “one voice alone is not enough to speak up on behalf of planet Earth”.

This is why, especially to mark Earth Day yesterday (22 April), the massively critically-acclaimed documentary series, Planet Earth III, decided to collaborate with BBC Children in Need for a one-off episode of the show.

New narrators are taking over from Sir David Attenborough for a special episode of Planet Earth III / Credit: BBC

But what exactly is it that makes this episode so “special”? Well, that’s because it’s uniquely narrated by dozens of schoolchildren.

The children – who are each aged between nine and 13, and are all said to be “budding naturalists” – can be heard reading from Sir David Attenborough’s original scripts in a bid to both “champion the power of youth voices” and, ultimately, “speak up for the planet”.

The BBC explained that the 50 student narrators were chosen from schools selected by BBC Children in Need as some of the most engaged fundraisers for the charity across the UK in recent years.

Alongside the airing of the special episode, the BBC also gave tens of thousands of children nationwide the chance to tune into a virtual assembly hosted by wildlife biologist, explorer, and presenter Lizzie Daly, as well as take part in a Q&A with the producers of the popular documentary series.

Clips from Planet Earth III were also made available so curious kids could have a go at narrating for themselves.

Read more:

The special episode of Planet Earth III narrated by the schoolchildren is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer here, but it will also be airing on BBC One on Monday 6 May too.

Featured Image – Mark Harrison (via BBC)

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