Post office set to be saved

9:50am Saturday 5th July 2008

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A volunteer has stepped forward to help save Cowling's post office which closed on Thursday after the sub-postmaster resigned.

Michael Hilton, who ran Farnhill Post Office for 19 years, has pledged to do the job.

Now all that is needed is a location.

Villagers gathered in Cowling Village Hall on Tuesday morning to voice their support for the new office to be opened in a dedicated room in the building.

It was resolved to distribute a questionnaire asking residents how many days it should be open and who would use it.

And another meeting has been set for July 17 or 18 when it is hoped a Post Office representative will detail the costs of setting it up and how it should be run.

Mr Hilton, who attended the meeting, said: "I know from experience how a post office can be a vital part of a community like Cowling.

"When elderly people come for their pensions, they have not probably seen anyone from the week before.

"I used to put out chairs so people could sit and chat - it made it a social occasion as well. You can tell by the number of people who have attended today that it will be successful."

Residents were told not to expect a quick solution and that there was not likely to be a post office for some weeks.

County Councillor Mark Wheeler said he had spoken to a Post Office official and they revealed the cost of setting up a community office operating about 14 hours a week could be £5,000. "At the meeting in July it must be made very very clear what you want," he stressed.

Richard Price, chairman of the village hall committee, who chaired the public meeting, said he had received a supportive letter from the Post Office: "They are behind it but we must have a clear plan of what we are doing."

Post Office field change adviser Bill Earnshaw said: "I can assure customers we are committed to restoring post office services in the area as soon as possible."