
A well-known rule of thumb says that you should walk 10,000 steps a day for the sake of your health. Andreas Zylla easily cracks this mark. Whatever the weather, the employee of the courier service ("Botenmeisterei") in the village of Bethel is out and about distributing post and books, parish newsletters, magazines and daily newspapers. "I no longer need a fitness programme after work," says the 64-year-old. The exercise in the fresh air is good for him, but it is physically demanding. Especially on hot days, the errands are a strain on him. Rain, on the other hand, doesn't bother him as much. "That's what the right clothes are for." His favourite time of year is spring with its mild temperatures.
People with disabilities find meaningful and responsible work in the Botenmeisterei. They carefully sort Bethel's internal mail by hand and deliver it to organisations and households. When the freshly printed RING magazines arrive, the historic "Old Post" building is always a hive of activity: the magazines have to be quickly distributed and delivered to the 14 districts in Bethel and Eckardtsheim. "My main district covers around 260 households," explains Andreas Zylla as he loads up his trolley with the latest issues. So there's a lot to do: The magazines should be in the letterboxes by the first of the month at the latest, he claims. "Andreas Zylla is very hard-working and conscientious. He is highly motivated to work," praises his supply employee Dieter Patrzek.