Warning over fading tradition of sending postcards

Warning over fading tradition of sending postcardsImage source, English HeritageImage caption, English Heritage said it would give free postcards to children visiting 18 of its sites over the summerByCraig BuchanSouth EastPublished2 hours agoEnglish Heritage has warned the tradition of sending postcards "could become a distant nostalgic memory".The charity's conservation, curatorial and learning director, Matt Thompson, said there was "something genuinely sad about the idea of this tradition disappearing".More than half of Brits that OnePoll surveyed on behalf of English Heritage in June reported they never send postcards.The preservation charity said it would give free limited edition postcards to children visiting 18 of its sites over the summer "in a bid to revive the once popular holiday tradition".The postcards were designed by authors and illustrators Nick Sharratt and Sir Quentin Blake.Sharratt said: "I wanted my designs to be the kind of thing a child would want to pick up and perhaps keep, but even more inspire that first trip to the postbox."If they do, maybe postcards have a future after all."Image source, English HeritageImage caption, The postcards depict knights and a princess in castles and children visiting a large palaceSir Quentin, whose works include illustrating stories by Roald Dahl, said: "In the days of knights in armour they didn't have postcards, so I do hope children enjoy mine and send him on to someone special."The postcards were printed at Hastings-based Judges, which is the UK's last surviving postcard business.The company's Graeme Wolford said the industry had declined from 12 million cards sold annually in the 1960s and 1970s to about 3 million sold annually in recent years.But he added there had been a "striking evolution" where postcards had become "more of a collector's item, transforming into a mini art form"."We still see a hi...