NOTHING too large, or too unusual for that matter, stops Colchester's Argo Mail making a delivery.

In the past the family-run business have transported lighting and stage equipment for a Beyonce concert, dinner suits and gowns for the Cannonball Rally Ball and once even a dinosaur!

Alex Saffari, business development manager, says: "It was a dinosaur that was being named by the Queen, which we took from Manchester University to the Royal Society in London.

"But we get all kinds of delivery requests. There's a guy who sends out traffic cones to people who want to buy them and a woman who uses us every couple of months to send out parcels of food to her sister in Germany."

From this week, more people are going to be able to use Argo's service as they have extended their opening hours in the evening.

Matt Stephens, operations director, says: "We were finding our busiest times were either at lunchtime or right at the end of the day so we decided to extend the hours from 8.30am to midnight.

"Our aim has always been to keep the prices low but most of all be convenient for our customers. We are a family-run company that serves the local community and with lots of people not being able to get out of work, or possibly commuting from London, opening up later helps us to do that."

Argo Mail was set up a few years ago as a sister company to Argo Cargo, a freight forwarding company set up by Matt's dad Ray with his business partner Joe Robinson in 1994.

Both based at Easter Park, off Axial Way, close to the A12 northern bypass, as well as its delivery office, Argo runs a door-to-door collection and delivery service which looks after 15 to 20 customers.

"We run two vans," Matt says, "in and around town, which leave at about 1.30pm, and sometimes we'll even take the parcel in and package it up back at the office. It's all part of that personal service which I think makes us pretty unique."

With more than 88,400 parcels a year, and times that include a next day service to New York and three to four days to Australia, it's no wonder Argo Mail is fast becoming the go to place for all of Colchester's delivery needs.

"We even deliver luggage," Matt smiles. "It's actually cheaper to send it via us than the airlines. We have a group of lads that go on golfing trips two or three times a year and they come to us to send their golf clubs direct to the resort."

For more information go to www.argomail.co.uk