A pint-sized postie has been joining Royal Mail staff on their rounds in Alford to help spread smiles throughout the Aberdeenshire community.
“Wee Dave” the crochet bear was gifted to a poorly member of staff at the Alford Delivery Office a few weeks ago, and has been going on adventures all across the village and surrounding communities ever since.
Complete with a tiny face mask and full uniform, the little postman has been helping children to understand the importance of social distancing and other measures taken by postal staff during the coronavirus lockdown.
Wee Dave has had his photo taken all around Alford and nearby destinations while he helps his fellow postmen and women on their rounds, including deliveries at Tough, Keig, Towie and Montgarrie.
And he has already put his stamp on social media, with almost 600 Facebook fans following his journeys from all across Scotland, and as far away as New Zealand, Las Vegas and Afghanistan.
Carol Walker, delivery operations manager at the Royal Mail’s Alford delivery office, said Wee Dave and his colleagues all follow strict hygiene rules – and the bear gets a wash every night to make sure he’s clean.
She said: “We started taking photos of Wee Dave and his antics to send to our colleague, who is not very well at the moment, and had the idea to share him with everyone on a Facebook page.
“Each member of staff over the week has been taking him out on their rounds and taking photos of him with beautiful scenery, children waving, local businesses and other stuff people can’t see from their homes.
“Wee Dave gets sanitised after each child picks him up for a photo, and we make a point of showing the kids that if Wee Dave washes his hands, then they should too.
“It’s a nice way of getting the message across.”
