‘Now I can go for a family walk after my post round’

Laura Craig, 35, postwoman, Lancashire

After 14 years as a Royal Mail postwoman, Laura Craig says she notices a change in the collective mood of her customers when the clocks go forward. “Everyone’s a lot happier. When it’s raining, people are not as chatty, but when it’s sunny I’ve got the best job in the world,” the 35-year-old says. “I love it, the extra light,” she adds. “It just totally lifts your mood.”

Despite walking 12 miles a day for work, Craig enjoys going for evening runs – something she can’t do during the darker winter months. She starts her Lancashire post round at 6:30 each morning and finishes in the early afternoon, and hopes to take advantage of the extra evening sunlight. “I’ll be cycling more, and I’ll be running a lot more. After we’ve had our tea as a family, we go for a walk, which is really nice.”

Craig is happy that “we’ve come out of the dark period” weather-wise. “When you start hearing the birds, you feel more energised. There’s more of a positivity wake-up.”