Big-hearted postman Tom is in line for award

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HELPFUL postie Tom Carnaghan has been nominated for an award by almost 140 grateful customers on his round.

Father-of-six Tom, 63, has been delivering mail for 27 years and has spent almost all of this time popping birthday cards, bills and letters in the Lochfield area of Paisley.

Big-hearted Tom, who has eight grandchildren, has given up his own spare time over the years to hang curtains for folk on his round and even do the odd bit of wallpapering.

Now his generosity and loyalty has earned him a nomination in the Community category of Royal Mail’s 1st Class People Awards.

Tom, who has also laid carpets and picked up shopping for people, has been described as “the best ever” postman by some customers, while others said he is “very obliging and reliable and always carrying out work in the community”.

Customers were invited to nominate Royal Mail people they believed were unsung heroes of their local communities.

Choose

Judges will now choose a Scottish winner in each category – Bravery,Community and Fundraising – and the trio will be invited along to a national ceremony on Monday, May 24.

Each will receive a cheque for £500 and a trophy at the ceremony, where the UK winners in the three categories will be announced and receive £1,000.

One postie will also be named as the overall winner of Royal Mail’s 1st Class People Awards and will win £3,000 for a holiday.
Tom, from Dykebar, told the Paisley Daily Express: “I am absolutely delighted to have been nominated for this award. It’s important to me that I help the people I deliver to and I hope anyone else would do the same.

“I am chuffed to be nominated, and I will do anything to help people with something they need after I have finished my round. I am quite handy, and I have done everything from wallpapering to hanging up curtains.

“When I started as postman I was delivering mail in a few different places, but for about 26 years I have been in Lochfield. It’s awful nice to be recognised and my wife Trisha is very pleased for me.

“I am happy to do things as a favour for people because I like my customers and they like me.”

Tom is among 16 posties – including fellow Paisley man Martin Kiernan, 40, who helped avoid a fire disaster at a block of flats – who are in the running for awards.

Both Paisley men will now go forward to final judging in the Scottish leg of their individual categories as well as having the chance to win the UK category prize and potentially the overall UK titles.

He will get £100 prize money for being shortlisted, and now has the chance to win the overall Scottish Bravery title, which will be announced later this month.

Fay Smith, who works as a home help, was among the 137 people who nominated Tom.

Praise

She said: “Not one person in Lochfield has a bad word to say about Tom – they only ever praise him for all the extra work he does in the community.

“I know that everyone who lives here, and their families think the world of him. I could write a book about all the things that he has done. The list is endless, and we would like to thank him for his support and loyalty throughout the years.”

Ian McKay, director of Scottish Affairs at Royal Mail Group, added: “I’m really pleased to congratulate both Martin and Tom on being shortlisted for these awards. Both their stories demonstrate exactly why our postmen and women are so highly valued by their customers.”

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140

Our Martin would of got more than that.

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