Royal Mail : celebrates Burns Night with special postmark

• Royal Mail is marking this year's Burns Night with a special postmark
• Burns Night is the annual celebration of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns
• The postmark will be applied to UK stamped mail for delivery on Monday 25 January 2016
• The postmark will say 'Celebrating Burns Night 25 Jan 2016'

Royal Mail is marking this year's Burns Night with a special postmark on Monday 25 January.

Burns Night commemorates the life of the bard (poet) Robert Burns, otherwise known as Rabbie Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759. Born to a farming family in the town of Alloway, he wrote a number of many famous works including Auld Lang Syne, Tam O'Shanter and A Red, Red Rose. He died aged 37 on 21 July 1796 in Dumfries, Scotland.

Royal Mail's postmark will appear on millions of items of UK stamped mail nationwide on Monday 25 January. It will say 'Celebrating Burns Night 25 Jan 2016.'

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: 'Robert Burns is one of Scotland's most iconic literary figures. His legacy remains as strong as ever even 220 years after his death. We hope that the postmark helps to share the spirit of the bard on this day of celebration.'

For more information contact:

Rebecca Maund

0203 338 1007

[e-mail]

Note to editors:

About Royal Mail plc

Royal Mail plc is the parent company of Royal Mail Group Limited, the leading provider of postal and delivery services in the UK and the UK's designated universal postal service provider. UK Parcels, International and Letters ('UKPIL') comprises the company's UK and international parcels and letters delivery businesses operating under the 'Royal Mail' and 'Parcelforce Worldwide' brands. Through the Royal Mail Core Network, the company delivers a one-price-goes-anywhere service on a range of parcels and letters products. Royal Mail has the capability to deliver to more than 29 million addresses in the UK, six days a week (excluding UK public holidays). Parcelforce Worldwide operates a separate UK network which collects and delivers express parcels. Royal Mail also owns General Logistics Systems (GLS) which operates one of the largest ground-based, deferred parcel delivery networks in Europe.