Residents send off beloved postman who worked in their community for 30 years in an adorable way

Some people find a profession they love and cling to it for the rest of their lives. Along the way, they make wholesome memories that they cherish forever. Graham McFiggins was able to dedicate 30 years of his life as a postman in the Poets area of Bedford. BBC News reported that the man, who recently marked his retirement, has touched the hearts of people in the community in such a way that they had to have a grand sendoff for him. The residents came together to raise £1500 (approx $1900) as a goodbye gift to McFiggins for his excellent and dedicated service through the years. 

McFiggins began his career as a postman at the age of 26 in the 1980s. Just before his 66th birthday, he delivered his last letter and called it a day. Having spent much of his life in the same area, the postman has done more than just delivering letters. He has bonded with the residents, tapped into their lives, and become a part of it. One of the residents, Sonia Dee, shared that his aura helped the community to give him heavily on his retirement. "Graham has been a fantastic postman and is a genuine, kind person who deserves recognition,” she said. The postman, too, highlighted that having worked so many years, “he knows everybody and everybody knows him.” Speaking about why he chose to pick and stay in the career, McFiggins said that he loved the idea of being outside, especially at the time.

"It was very different in those days - you didn't have the technological side of it," he exclaimed. Beginning at 4 in the morning, he also mentioned that his job would allow him to see his kids on and off and he could even spare the time to drop them off at school. Throughout his career, he has delivered umpteen letters, stuck around for 29 Christmas festivals, and was even honored with delivering four 100th birthday cards from Queen Elizabeth II. What makes McFiggins’ retirement so hard is that the residents of the Poets area have been more than just recipients of letters. McFiggins has done more than the job of a postman and considered it nothing less than a joy to help.

"I put the bins in, take the bins out, I've put up light bulbs. I've even put in door handles and I've opened jars, although as I get on I find them hard to do myself," McFiggins remarked. Royal Mail, the company McFiggins worked with, shared the walk covered by the man during his career accounting for 124,800 miles, which is "the equivalent of having walked five times round the world." Colleen Atkins, another resident, pitched in saying he’s done quite a bit for the neighborhood. "He will be greatly missed, but it helps knowing he's now going to have a well-earned rest,” she said. Along with his monetary parting gift, McFiggins enjoyed a send-off tied with best wishes and blessings for his loyal and spectacular service.