Mount Pleasant Mail Centre
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Mount Pleasant Mail Centre is in central London. It was once one of the largest sorting offices in the world and is still one of the largest in the country. Its staff handle millions of items of mail each day. At one time all mail sent to and from London would come through Mount Pleasant.
The 'Mount', as it is affectionately known, has a fascinating history. The present building stands on the site of Coldbath Fields Prison, built in 1794 and closed in 1877. The Post Office moved onto the site in 1887 and over the years demolished, developed and extended the existing buildings (the image shows Mount Pleasant around 1920). You can find out more by visiting our online exhibition Mount Pleasant: '...the largest sorting office in the world'.
The main reason the BPMA decided to work with staff at Mount Pleasant is the great ethnic and cultural diversity of the workforce; only 34% are White British. Within this 24 hour community operate many cultural, religious, social, and sports clubs and associations. Royal Mail as an organisation are keen to celebrate the diversity of its workforce, and respects the different religions and cultures within it, so they were very keen to support this project.
Religious groups are given prayer rooms and allowed time off work for prayer. Many different religious and cultural festivals and events are held within Mount Pleasant for all the workforce to enjoy. Every year a 'Culture Week' is held (pictured below) to celebrate all the different cultures that exist in Mount Pleasant, this involves dancing, food and music.
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Mount Pleasant Mail Centre also has a gym, games rooms and canteen, making it a lively and social place. For many it is much more than just a workplace.
