Writing by hand, and being able to write by hand, is as important as ever. It matters, and is one of the cornerstones of how we communicate with one another.
This year marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, and is a reminder of how well handwriting has stood the test of time.
The recent National Stationery week event is sponsored by many organisations and business who wants to see more pens put to paper. But nowadays how many people do actually pick up a pen and use proper notepaper?
Following a recent article The lost art of writing a letter, we know that our readers still hold the written word very dear and the art of letter writing remains fundamental to communication.
When I went to school we actually had lessons in handwriting and were taught how to form our letters so that they were clear and legible. We had handwriting books that had to be neat – and woe betide anyone who made ink blots.
Who uses proper ink these days? And were you ever ink monitor?
I still use a fountain pen now if I have handwriting to do, but like nearly everyone these days most of my work is done on a computer keyboard. There is something very special about a hand written letter or card and I am quite proud of my handwriting as I see it as a sign of honour and respect to those who I write to. I am sorry to say that my children have a dreadful scrawly script and could both have become doctors in that respect!
Although most of our business communication is done by e mail it is always a pleasure here in the office to receive a well written letter and not have to struggle to read it.
Chris Leonard-Morgan organiser of National Stationery Week, said: “Whether it’s jotting down a shopping list, writing a birthday card, taking down a phone message or filling in an application form, handwriting is part of our daily lives. While modern technology has transformed the way we communicate, the skill of handwriting remains important in education, employment and everyday life. It isn’t a question of just using one or the other.
“The results of the YouGov poll show that handwriting remains as important as ever, with the overwhelming majority of people surveyed saying they believed it was an important tool and that it is vital children are taught handwriting at school.”
Let us know if you still use handwriting skills and if you encourage your children and grandchildren to write.
by Charlotte Courthold
