Post offices: The fight goes on
IT has been more than three weeks since West Norfolk was dealt the bitter blow that it stands to lose 19 sub-post offices in the raft of closures being planned across the country.
After suffering the initial shock those affected have rallied together to form strong campaigns against the move in a bid to prevent what many fear will be the inevitable death of some rural communities.
In Wimbotsham the parish council and postmistress are fighting side-by-side to save the post office and shop on West Way, which offers a vital service to its elderly population.
Postmistress Parvin Begum (29) takes every opportunity to encourage her customers – many of whom she counts as personal friends – to fight the move and is desperate for Post Office bosses to reconsider their decision.
She told the Lynn News: "This is my life and my only job, what is going to happen to me and the community?
"I have elderly people who come in and talk to one another. For some it is the only time they see other people. I am not just their postmistress but their friend as well.
"The people who work here are all local people and they may well lose their jobs. I do not know how long we can keep the business going without the post office."
Within minutes of visiting the shop the sense of community spirit is obvious.
Customers and staff know one another on a strict first-name basis and they share a common reaction to the uncertainty facing the post office – one of disgust.
The sub-post office offers services including cash withdrawals, the opportunity to pay bills such as council tax and electricity and, most importantly, allows elderly residents the opportunity to collect their pensions.
The branch is open six days a week, but if the counter is closed parcels and other items can be securely left in the shop before being processed when it re-opens.
Miss Begum believes personal touches such as this will be lost when customers are forced to the nearest branch in Downham.
Olive Bywater (92) is typical of many elderly residents in the village.
She uses the post office to collect her pension and then spends money in the shop on her groceries for the week.
After undergoing a hip replacement operation she is unable to use bus services and fears she will have to rely on family members for transport should the post office close.
Mrs Bywater said: "I shop there and use the post office to pay my bills and get my pension. I can get everything I want.
"It is nice to get down there and have a chat and I think every village should have a post office and shop."
Post office customer Irene Rumball (84) added: "For old people this is absolutely horrendous. How can they manage?
"There is one old lady who struggles up the road with her trolley to get her pension and a bit of shopping and then struggles home. How does she get to Downham?
"Once upon a time we were a village of old people. We are getting younger ones in now but in the main we are an elderly village."
Read about the campaign to save Castle Rising's post office in Tuesday's Lynn News.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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