Mrs Thatcher meets man who sorts her mail

The postman who normally sorts the mail for Ballards Lane, North Finchley, had a brief rest from his job on Friday afternoon and handed over to the Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher.

The sorting office in Lodge Lane, North Finchley, was the first stop in the Prime Minister's minitour of her constituency.

But Mrs Thatcher did not mind when she was asked to sort her own mail, to be delivered to the Finchley Conservative headquarters in Ballards Lane, and she chatted to 21-year-old Terry Allford, the postman who normally handles her mail.

The Prime Minister was met at the sorting office, which handles about 20,000 letters and parcels a day, by chairman of the Post Office. Mr Ron Dearing, the inspector in charge of the North Finchley office, Mr Alan Peacock and the Northern District Postmaster, Mr George Denham.

The sorting office, which Mrs Thatcher last visited seven years ago, usually has about 30 people working during an afternoon and the Prime Minister was introduced to many of them.

Mr Charlie Evans, the representative of the Union of Communication Workers, told Mrs Thatcher he was negotiating the first stage of a productivity deal. She told him that she hoped it would be the first of many.

After spending nearly an hour at the sorting office the Prime Minister moved on to Avenue House, in East End Road, Finchley, to present an award to Vacuum Interrupters Ltd.

The company, which makes high technology power switches, is based in Ballards Lane, Church End Finchley, and has received a Fit for Work award from the Manpower Services Commission.

The award, the first of its kind, was made to 100 British companies which support and give work to disabled people. Vacuum Interrupters employs six disabled people out of its 91-strong workforce.

Mrs Thatcher said: “Vacuum Interrupters are a very old company, although they belong to a large group, and they have a marvellous export record, which is great for Britain.

“Employing disabled people may mean a company adapting certain machinery for them to work with but if a company really tries, as Vacuum Interrupters has, then jobs for the disabled can be found and it is worth it—they have the ability.”

General manager of Vacuum Interrupters Mr Malcolm Hobbs received the award from the Prime Minister and introduced her to two disabled workers; Mr Alan French, 35, a materials controller, and 64-year-old Mr Philip Hussey who has worked for the firm for 30 years.

The last stop of the afternoon for the Prime Minister was a conducted tour around the Vacuum Interrupters factory.

Mrs Thatcher, her bodyguard and her constituency agent, Roy Langstone, all donned white space-suit type outfits in order to enter the “clean room” which must be kept free of dust at all times.

At the end of her tour the Prime Minister met all the employees on the shop floor and spoke to them.

A surprise presentation was then made by Vacuum Interrupters to Mrs Thatcher. They gave one of the white suits she had been wearing in the clean room.

She thanked the company for showing her around their factory.