This is the Mail man, Brathay’s proud knight,
running and writing for that which is right.
A marathon here, a marathon there,
the Marathon Mail Man runs everywhere:
raising the funds for the bills to be paid,
stride after stride, in sunshine and shade.
He runs for a cause held close to our hearts:
for Brathay, a beacon lighting fresh starts,
salving the scars of hardship and strain,
investing in hope, time and again.
Runner and writer have similar genes,
aware of surroundings, chasing like hounds,
singular, often, but part of a team;
always alert and breaking new ground.
There’s yards for the rich, words for the poor;
yards for the voiceless, the many and few:
words filling holes left by the law
for people from Aberdeen, Brighton and Crewe.
Forgiveness and love are gifts of the good,
to lives once battered and misunderstood.
Chloe and Abdul were given a hand,
given compassion, made people who can;
carefully strengthened, apprenticed and skilled,
seen laughing again, and confidence-filled.
This is the Mail man gentle and kind;
searching and finding, holding the line;
being our champion, good in a brawl:
writing and running, standing up for us all.
by Robert Cole for Jeff Prestridge, May 2022
ref: Night Mail by WH Auden
Chloe and Abdul are two of the very many people to benefit from the lovely work of the Brathay Trust.
ROBERT COLE 