VILLAGERS gave a popular postman a send-off to remember after 15 years of service to their community. Darren Tegg has been delivering post to the people of Woodham Ferrers for a decade and a half, but is now moving to the Braintree area to be closer to his family, where he will also be working.
A generous crowd gathered in the village hall on Friday to present Darren with a cheque for £367 as a token of their appreciation for his dedication over the years. Kindness Pam Mason, who lives in the village, said: "My favourite memory of Darren will be his kindness. He's always ready for a chat. When my husband was ill he was always so kind and keen to check how things were."
Ken Beazley added: "I will miss him a lot. I'll miss his banter and how he always wears shorts no matter what the weather is like. He'd always go above and beyond for anybody."
Darren has worked for the Royal Mail for three decades, having worked for 15 years in Reading, then a year in Witham before moving to Woodham Ferrers.
He said: "I'm going to miss everyone so much.
"I know most people by their first names by now.
"Everyone's so lovely, always offering me cups of tea and inviting me in for a chat.
"They're all lovely people. It's a real shame I'll be leaving them.
"Because I live in Braintree, it's just going to make life a bit easier transferring to that area, so it's out of convenience really.
"It was a complete surprise when they presented me with the cheque. "I wasn't expecting it at all but it was a fantastic touch. I have no idea what I'll spend it on."
