Personally Speaking: 'Unsung heroes put in a first-class performance'
- Adam Jogee MP
- Dec 19, 2025
- 3 min read
Christmas has a way of revealing who we really rely on to keep daily life moving. When pressure rises, deadlines tighten and expectations are high, it is the same groups of people who step up – often without fuss, and often without recognition.
At Christmas, more than at any other time, the country leans on shop workers, delivery drivers and postal workers, carers, NHS and social care staff, cleaners, warehouse staff, and people working in hospitality and on public transport. We were reminded of the importance of so many of these jobs during the COVID pandemic, when they were recognised as essential. We must not allow that recognition to fade as that period slips further into the rear-view mirror – especially when the demands of the work remain.
That is why recognition must mean more than seasonal goodwill. It must be backed up by action – action like the changes being made through the Employment Rights Bill on pay, conditions and practical support.
It is in that spirit that I also welcome the Government’s funding to help up to 35,000 Armed Forces personnel get home to their families over Christmas. This includes junior service members, many in the early years of their careers, who until now have not qualified for support with travel costs and are often posted far from home, as well as separated parents with non-resident children who will receive travel credit. Too often, that has meant spending Christmas away from loved ones simply because getting home was unaffordable.
This change matters. Time apart is already a fact of military life. Removing unnecessary financial barriers to being together at Christmas is about morale, wellbeing and respect for the sacrifices service families make all year round.
It also forms part of a wider effort to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve – including the largest Armed Forces pay uplift in two decades, long-overdue action to improve military housing, and better childcare support for forces families. None of this removes the pressures of service, but it does show a determination to take those pressures seriously.
You only have to spend a short time speaking to people in frontline roles across services, hospitality and retail to understand the pressures Christmas brings. Longer hours, heavier workloads, and a level of public frustration that is often misdirected at the people least responsible for the problem. Many are juggling work with caring responsibilities of their own, or worrying about rising household costs, even as they help make Christmas possible for others.
That is something I was reminded of last Friday when I visited the Royal Mail delivery office on Brock Way in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Delivery volumes surge in the run-up to Christmas, days lengthen, and the pressure to get things right increases sharply. Yet the expectation remains – quite rightly – that cards and parcels will arrive on time.
What stood out was the quiet professionalism. It was clear that posties go above and beyond – not just knowing their rounds inside out, but being part of the communities they serve, with local knowledge, familiar faces and a friendly presence that people trust. At Christmas especially, that reliability and connection matter.
Earlier in the week, I hosted Royal Mail’s Christmas reception in Parliament and was pleased to ensure that posties from Newcastle-under-Lyme could take part. It mattered that colleagues from across Parliament had the chance to meet the people who deliver to their offices and constituencies day in, day out.
The reception also supported Royal Mail’s campaign to raise funds for defibrillators in communities across the UK through the British Heart Foundation – a reminder that practical support, not gestures, is what makes the difference.
There is a common thread here. Whether it is service personnel spending weeks away from home, shop workers keeping shelves stocked, or postal workers delivering through the busiest time of the year, we depend on people who show up when it counts. Christmas is when that dependence is most visible.
And it is also when our commitments – to recognise their contribution properly and back it up with action – are tested most clearly. Thanks are important – but they have to be matched with action. Respect means fair pay, decent conditions and support that reflect the reality of people’s working lives.
To everyone serving in uniform, delivering our post, keeping our shops running or working through the holidays to keep the country moving – thank you. And to readers across Newcastle-under-Lyme, I wish you a peaceful Christmas and a hopeful start to the new year.
