Modern civilisation needs a variety of communication services, and for most people the Post is still the most convenient. How have the Post Office and the Royal Mail kept up with developments in technology and computerisation? The programme looks at the role of those who work in these modern organisations; postmen and women, those who run the post offices and the sorting staff.

The importance of the Postal Service as a social amenity, especially in a rural community is underlined.

An-1O-Eye has wakened very early, so Screen suggests they look and see who else is up and about at this time. They get pictures from Claudy Post Office where the morning mail from the sorting office in Londonderry has just arrived.

They see Michael the postman and his workmates, and watch as the letters are finally sorted into "runs" around the Claudy area. A special parcel and birthday cards are identified.

Michael sets off in his van to deliver his mail, around the village of Park near Claudy. He stresses the importance of giving as much detail as possible on the envelope: name with an initial, house number, street, town and most importantly, the post code.

Michael delivers the parcel and the cards to Niall, the birthday boy. They are from his Gran in Glengormley and Niall's mother reminds him to write a thank-you letter.

After finishing his letter Niall goes to the Post Office in Claudy where he meets the post mistress, Mrs McClelland.

She sells him a stamp and Niall posts his letter. Mrs McClelland explains that the stamp is a receipt to show that the delivery charge has been paid.

The letter and all the other mail is collected later in the afternoon, and we follow its progress on a map, first to Derry, then across the river Bann at Toomebridge, and on to the Royal Mail Centre in Belfast.

All the mail for Northern Ireland is sorted here - more than one million letters and packets every day. Mechanisation and computerisation speed the sorting process and even letters with very little information on the envelope can be delivered.

Soon Gran's letter is on its final leg to Glengormley. Gran is delighted to receive the letter and replies immediately by e-mail!

Michael's got a busy day
By six o'clock he's on his way
Sorting letters into trays
Use the right post code

He needs help to speed the post
Number, street and town's the most
Important thing and then of course
Use the right post code

The code can pin-point where to go
Town or country it is so
Important that we all must know
To use the right post code

Send a letter right away
First decide what you want to say
Tell your pen-pal where you stay
Use the right postcode

Make your writing clear and neat
The envelope and the written sheet
You'll need a stamp - don't use your feet
Use the right postcode

The code will help speed up the mail
For sure delivery, rain or hail
Your friendly postman will not fail
Use the right postcode

• On your big map of Northern Ireland, trace the route taken by Niall's letter.   Park - Claudy - Londonderry - Belfast - Glengormley.
• Arrange with the school secretary to let the class sort and deliver the mail coming into the school for a week. The class should make their own sorting trays,with the names of those people who might get letters. Keep a note of how much mail arrives each day.
• An-10-Eye talks about the younger and older members of his family. Make a list of everyone in the class with their date of birth. Ask each child to draw a self-portrait to go along with the information.
• Investigate the history of stamps and build on this project by asking the children to design a school stamp. This could then be used on mail sent within the school.
• Work on a project about the various ways of sending messages. Think about smoke signals, morse code, semaphore, telephone and radio. Try getting the class to pass a message round the room. Is it accurate at the end?
• Is your school online? Use e-mail to contact a school very far away.
• Poor An-10-Eye falls foul of the silent "P". Ask the class to find other words that have silent letters.
• Look at this drawing of one of Michael's walks. Then answer the following questions:
  • Liz lives in the house between Sue and Harry. What number is it?
  • Who lives opposite Eric?
  • Who lives in the house before Seamus, on the same side?
  • Who lives at the lower number beside Sarah?
  • The person living opposite Joe is called ....................?
  • What is the number of Eric's house?
  • How many houses shown have even numbers?
  • How many have odd numbers?
  • If you start at Brian's house and walk past three houses on the same side, whose house do you come to next?
  • How many houses lie between Brian and Ben? Count all the houses on both sides.