The National Rural Conference 2025

Bookings are now officially open for the National Rural Conference 2025, which will take place online from Monday 15 to Thursday 18 September.
This is the Rural Services Network’s flagship event of the year, bringing together rural decision-makers, practitioners, and advocates for four days of live, interactive sessions focused on the future of rural communities.
Click here to book!

Royal Mail launches doorstep parcel collections service

The Financial Times and the Independent have reported that Royal Mail postal workers are now collecting parcels from customers’ doorsteps for the first time through a new service called Parcel Collect

The service will cost 72p on top of standard postage costs for every parcel, while pre-paid return items will cost 60p each.

As well as offering customers in rural locations a higher level of convenience, the new move could help Royal Mail adapt to the decline in people sending letters and the rapid growth in online shopping due to closures of non-essential high street shops during lockdown.

Full articles:

The Financial Times - Royal Mail launches doorstep parcel collections in ecommerce boom

The Independent - Royal Mail postal workers will now collect parcels for delivery from your doorstep