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SOUTHGATE and West Green residents may have wondered why their postman recently displayed a fondness for cross dressing and the colour purple.
Stephen Axford has been delivering letters across Crawley for the past 20 years in inconspicuous attire.
But for one day only last month he slipped on a dress, donned a wig and slung a handbag over his shoulder.
While the 59-year-old admits the loose-fitting outfit provided certain parts of his body with more freedom and air than usual, the stunt had a serious message.
He was raising money, by collecting donations from customers, for the Colostomy Association, as he suffers from ulcerative colitis.
This means he has to carry a colostomy bag with him wherever he goes, including on his postal round.
Stephen, who lives in Ifield Road, West Green, said: "It was really good fun. When women were giving me money I was saying 'you know what it's like for us ladies, we need somewhere to put our bits and bobs' while carrying my pens and cards in my handbag. I'll tell you what as well. It was lovely. I had loads of air around my bits!"
Stephen developed ulcerative colitis, a condition that causes inflammation and ulceration of the inner lining of the rectum and colon, when he was 21.
There is no cure and for years he simply had to visit doctors so they could keep an eye on his symptoms, which include passing blood.
About five years ago Stephen suffered severe inflammation which caused so much damage to his internal organs that he had to have a stoma fitted. A stoma is an opening in the side of the abdomen through which bodily waste can pass and is normally created through surgery.
Speaking openly about a condition which embarrasses people is what Stephen feels has helped him cope.
He said: "If you need to go to the toilet, you need to go there and then. I've had accidents on duty. It's not nice being a postman and soiling yourself. It's really embarrassing. But I think the fact I'm not afraid to talk about it helps.
"When I had it really bad I was delivering on a different round in Pound Hill.
"I used to know which of my customers had downstairs toilets and they were very understanding, so they would let me use them."
Stephen raised £418 through donations from residents and the help of colleagues, one of whom baked cakes.
After one woman gave Stephen a donation on his round, her daughter, who Stephen estimates was about seven, raided her piggy bank to support the cause because she has a family member with a stoma.
The Colostomy Association estimates that there are about 200 people living with some form of stoma in Crawley.
Stephen was full of praise for the Royal Mail, who have been very supportive of him, even changing his round so he could be closer to his own home.
But he thinks far more needs to be done to educate other employers and members of the public in general about stomas.
He said: "A lot of people who get stomas can't accept it. One woman I spoke to on my round said her sister couldn't accept it and starved herself to death.
"A lot of people see it as being abnormal. A lot of companies don't understand it either. Fortunately for me, Royal Mail have been very good from the start."
If you have a stoma and need any information or support, call the Colostomy Association's free 24-hour helpline on 0800 328 4257.
