‘He was so humble’: Sir Gareth Southgate’s surprise visit delights Leeds post office staff

A Leeds postmistress was left “mortified and amazed” when former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate casually walked into her post office to buy a book of stamps.

The surprise visit happened on Friday (June 19), just after 11am, at Moortown Post Office, where postmistress Ree Williams and her colleague, Meshie Roth, were working through what had been a typically busy late-morning rush.

Ree said the pair immediately felt they recognised the quietly spoken customer but could not place him outside of a football context.

“We both looked at each other thinking, he looks familiar, but who the hell is it?” she told the YEP. “Mish (Meshie) was at the front of the shop trying to get my attention, but I just had my head down thinking in my head, ‘Who is this person?’”

With the usually busy shop momentarily empty and the customer car park outside unusually clear, Sir Gareth walked in unnoticed, asked for a book of stamps and quietly set about sticking a stamp onto a card.

As he did, Roth finally took a chance and asked if she recognised him from football. He smiled and said “yes”, confirming he was indeed someone from the game - though they still had not yet realised it was Sir Gareth.

With no one else waiting, the pair seized the moment and asked if they could have a photo. Southgate, they said, was utterly polite and happy to oblige, posing with a broad smile.

Assuming he would be glued to the tournament, Ree asked if he was watching the football.

“I asked him, ‘Oh, so you must be watching the football’, and he says, ‘Oh no, it’s too late for me,’” she said.

Ree admitted she still did not know exactly who he was at that point.

“It was so embarrassing - I knew he was something to do with football, but I still couldn’t get his name,” she said.

“It was such a hot day that me and my colleague had just come in casual clothes - no uniforms, nothing.

“I’m normally really particular about making an effort because I’m the postmistress, but of all days for Gareth Southgate to walk in, we weren’t even dressed to represent the post office properly.”

The mystery was solved minutes later when another customer walked in and was shown the photos the pair had taken with their famous visitor.

“He went, ‘Has this just happened?’ and then said, ‘It’s not Sir Gareth Southgate, is it?’ I went, ‘You are joking.’ Then the penny dropped,” Ree said.

The encounter lasted no more than three or four minutes, but it has since had a huge impact online. After initially sharing the photos only with close family, Ree decided on Sunday night to post them on her post office’s Facebook page.

By Monday, the post had “gone a little wild”, as Ree put it. As of Tuesday afternoon, it has reached more than 100,000 people and attracting hundreds of likes and shares.

Ree said the reaction reflects the affection many people still feel for Southgate.

“He was so humble, so lovely - just a real gentleman,” she said. “I think people are just really fond of him. To have someone like that walk into our little post office - it’s been amazing for us and for the community.”