Gruffalo illustrator encourages postcard revival

Illustrator Axel Scheffler said sending letters and postcards was "very important" to him

The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler is encouraging children to send postcards and letters to their grandparents, parents and friends to stop the trend "dying out".

Scheffler, who describes himself as an avid letter writer, said it was a great way of communicating and keeping in touch.

The German illustrator, who has lived in England for more than 40 years, said "letters are very important for me".

He recently took part in BBC Radio Cornwall's Wish you Were Here challenge where people across the world were asked to send a postcard before World Postcard Day on 1 October.

Scheffler sent a postcard to BBC Radio Cornwall with the character Postman Bear from the Tales of Acorn Wood book on the front

Scheffler, famous for his artwork in Zog and the Flying Doctor and Stick Man, said he always drew a different picture on the envelope which was cherished by those who received them.

"It's very old fashioned and dying out it seems," he said.

"But for me, it's always been present... it's very much part of my life.

"I would like to encourage children to write letters and postcards to their grandparents, to their parents and to their friends.

"It's a wonderful way of communicating."

But the cost of sending postcards and letters could be discouraging people from doing it, Scheffler said.

"It's getting more and more expensive in this country.

"I think to send a postcard here is twice as expensive as it is in Germany and that's discouraging... it should be cheaper," he said.

Axel Scheffler said his first holiday when moving to the UK was in north Devon

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said it always considered stamp pricing "very carefully".

They said: "With letter volumes in structural decline and the number of addresses rising, the cost of delivering each letter inevitably increases. Customers have the choice to post letters second class for just 87p nationwide or pay more if they want a next day service.

"Stamp prices still compare favourably to other European countries.

"For second class stamps the European average is £1.51 compared to 87p in the UK and £1.85 for first class compared to £1.70."

'Favourite sceneries'

He heard about the BBC Radio Cornwall's Wish you Were Here postcard challenge in September after being alerted to it by the founder of the Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society, which he is a member of.

Scheffler sent a postcard with the character Postman Bear from the Tales of Acorn Wood book on the front.

When he moved to the UK, he said his first holiday was in north Devon and has visited Cornwall a number of times.

"It's one of my favourite sceneries in the UK or in the world."

He said although his work was not directly linked to specific locations, he said the illustrations in his book the Snail and the Whale looked like they could be Cornwall.

Scheffler also visited Jersey for the "first time in his life" this year for a book festival in October and said he hoped to go back.