Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

National campaign to save the milk round!

A group of Lancashire milkmen is launching a campaign to preserve one of Britain’s long-standing traditions, the daily doorstep delivery.

The 32-strong group says that, if the current trend continues, Lancashire will lose its daily milk round within 10 years.

There are an estimated 400 milkmen in Lancashire today, compared to more than 1,200 just 10 years ago.

One of the highlights of the ‘Doorstep Delivers’ campaign will be the UK’s first ever National Doorstep Day on October 15 – and milkmen all over the UK are being encouraged to join in.

The move follows fears of an exodus from the industry of UK dairy farmers as they struggle to break even - at a time when the number of doorstep deliveries has plummeted in the last 20 years.

Giant size milk bottles are being made for people to register their support for National Doorstep Day – and to get more people to think about the benefits of the doorstep delivery.

Jonathan Simpson, from Holme Farm Dairies, supplies many of Lancashire’s milkmen and is fully behind the ‘Doorstep Delivers’ campaign.

“We appreciate that supermarkets act as a one-stop-shop for many people, but milkmen and women do much more than provide milk and groceries,” says Jonathan.

“They’re an integral part of community life. Many elderly people, for example, rely on their daily contact with their milkmen who also provide early morning security for many neighbourhoods. If we lose the daily milk round, we lose part of Britain’s heritage and a valuable service to the community.

“The focus on a greener environment is top of the agenda for today’s society. The majority of our sales are glass milk bottles, which we recycle. If more people were to sign up for a daily glass milk bottle delivery, the impact of plastic milk cartons on the environment would be reduced.”

National Doorstep Day will see the start of a month long campaign to encourage more people to have milk delivered to their home. Ten people will be given the chance to win free milk for a year in a Willy Wonka style competition, in which ten milk bottles will have gold stars underneath.

More details on the Doorstep Delivers campaign can be found at www.holmefarmdairies.co.uk.

- ends -

For further info please contact Claire Murgatroyd or Keeley Duffy on 01772 421 442 or e-mail claire@mtjpr.co.uk.