Bexhill postman with 40-mile-long daily round awarded prestigious medal

Stephen Page-Mitchell, who has worked as a postman in the area for more than 30 years, was recognised at the Palace of Westminster with a British Citizen Award (BCA) in recognition of his services.

The British Citizen Award recognises exceptional individuals who positively impact their communities throughout the country.

He received his honour on March 24 with The British Citizen Award for Services to the Community.

Mr Page-Mitchell, or ‘Postman Steve’ as everybody calls him, has been the postman for the parish of Ashburnham for more than 30 years.

He said: “I think it was nice that the Ashburnham Parish Council thought my efforts over the past 30 years, for the village and the people who live there, were worthy of recognition.

“The fact that I ended up with letters to use after my name, if I so choose to use them, is somewhat unbelievable for someone such as me.”

Ashburnham is a rural community with properties spaced widely apart, so Steve’s daily round covering 150 properties is 40 miles long.

A spokesperson for the BCA said: “Over the last 30 years, Steve has demonstrated that he has always been prepared to go the extra mile beyond simply bringing the community their mail.

“He always puts others first, showing a genuine interest for the wellbeing of people on his round.

“This initially started when one villager expressed a desire to start a Women’s Institute in order to bring together like-minded ladies in a rural community.

“Steve took the initiative to encourage and connect prospective WI members by preparing and distributing a welcome letter.

“The first meeting had more than 40 attendees and the WI has now been successfully running for over 13 years, in a village with only 340 residents.”

Mr Page-Mitchell added: “To be able to enter the House of Lords building for afternoon tea and to collect my medal, is also the kind of thing money can’t buy.

“We were in a room with a terrace we could use, that was between the Houses of Parliament and the river Thames. The whole day was a once in a lifetime occasion which I was able to enjoy with my wife, brother and his wife.

“I wanted someone from my family to witness me getting a medal. Because the whole thing is ridiculous. I don’t enjoy standing up in front of lots of people but had to do that to collect my medal.

“I retired last summer on doctors orders. I had done 34 years as a rural postman and, when fixed duties were introduced, I picked Ashburnham.

“I did Ashburnham for 30 years and, it seems, became a part of the village. I wasn’t a clock watcher and often went home late from work after doing things for village residents throughout my working day.

“Whenever I did something for someone I always asked them not to tell anyone as it would probably get me in to trouble. Getting my BCAc Award made me think that all those varied things I did to help people, must have been discussed in the village after all.

“For me, walking in to so many houses every day, as many don’t have letter boxes, felt better than just delivering to a block of flats somewhere. I felt that I fitted in to the village environment.

“I usually travelled 40 miles each day to complete my delivery. The village is so spread out, a lot of the residents can’t see their neighbours from where they live. Or the next house is in the distance.

“Nice in many respects but it can also mean some people can start to feel lonely and cut off.

“When the idea was put forward to start a WI, Women’s Institute, I realised that I was the only person in the village who knew everyone in the village. What a brilliant idea if we could get the women together and talking, not usually too difficult.

“Then if they start holding events they would drag their husbands along and maybe it would be a good way of getting people to know each other.

“I wrote a letter to 60 women asking them if they would consider going along to look. At the meeting, 40 women walked through the door saying they had had a letter from Steve The Postman asking them to come along.

“I was considered old fashioned in the way I did my job. Both in my connection with my customers and also my appearance.

“Many people have said I would have fitted in during the 1960’s.” The medal presentation was hosted by TV presenter Tim Vincent, and attended by BCA Patron Dame Mary Perkins, Founder of Specsavers, and Baroness Caroline Cox.

The award was established in 2015 to recognise exceptional individuals who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a positive impact on their communities and society.

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