Letters from the other side of the world: New post box for Antarctic scientists
- Published
A bright red post box has travelled almost to the other side of the world with a royal stamp of approval.
King Charles III has given a shiny new Royal Mail post box as a special gift to people working at a remote Antarctic research station.
The post box was sent to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) station at Rothera after staff asked for an upgrade from their handmade and hand-painted box.
The new one even features King Charles III's cypher - a special symbol made from his initials that is seen on newer post boxes.
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This handmade post box will now be replaced by the official one
Kirsten Shaw, a station support assistant who runs the British Antarctic Territory Post Office, explained why post matters so much.
"Being in Antarctica is incredible, but it's full of extremes, so I think it's a special thing to send post back home, to communicate your experiences. It's a moment of your life that you put down on paper and give to someone else," she said.
Rothera station opened in 1975 and is the UK's largest Antarctic base. It sits 1,860km (1,155 miles) south of the Falkland Islands and is a major centre for climate research. Staff live and work there for months at a time, far away from friends and family.
"Getting post is really special for the team at Rothera," Kirsten said.
"If you're doing fieldwork for many months, the feeling of receiving a letter - an actual tangible piece of paper with handwriting from friends and family - is such a lift.
"It's a wonderful way to connect people that goes beyond what an email or text message can do."
Kirsten Shaw and Aurelia Reichardt, station leader at Rothera, are pictured with the new post box
The BAS said: "The Royal Household worked with Royal Mail to arrange this particularly special delivery". The box arrived on the UK's polar research ship, RRS Sir David Attenborough.
Getting letters in and out of Antarctica is a huge challenge. Mail travels by ship or plane to the Falkland Islands (a group of islands protected by the United Kingdom, with the King as Head of State), then on to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, before joining the Royal Mail network.
Jane Rumble, HM Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory, said: "Maintaining a postal service in the British Antarctic Territory is far more than a symbolic gesture.
"It reinforces Britain's presence and heritage in Antarctica and provides a vital link to the wider world."