4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[freddie]

The glorious gvt has decided to close my village Post Office, and we've got 6 weeks to appeal. Any ideas for constructive appealing please; it'll hit me especially hard, as it's where I go every day to post the you know whats'.

The nearest P.O. to our village is 5 miles away, and there's really very little parking, and it's tiny. Any helpful ideas to "lobby" the beaurocrats, anybody know any journalists, etc cet....

Plea for help here The P.O. is also our village shop, so we'll lose the both.

[Lesley]

Sorry - can't help much as I've not had to deal with this......

 

Do you have any celebrities living locally? - the last protest I saw on TV had one, can't rememebr who it was now......It does help to lift the profile and gain TV coverage.

[Jules.]

6 weeks isn't very long, & I presume that where you live is quite rural. Is there a public transport link to where you are & the nearest PO if your closes?

That could be an argueing point for it to stay open. .

[Tessa the Duchess]

There doesn't seem to be much point in lobbying or protesting about P.O.

closures They are closing 6 small branches around North London and Victoria Wood joined the protest and got loads of publicity, but they are still going ahead It is such a pain because the main PO where I live is a nightmare experience with queues out the door all day, at Christmas you are advised to take a packed lunch if you want to use it

 

Closing down rural post offices is so shortsighted, it has much larger implications for small communities. Just plain wicked

 

Tessa

[Helen&Lee]

I really sorry but I don't think there is much you can do

 

They closed the main Post Office in Worcester City Centre last week - and relocated 'the services' to WH Smith - upstairs

 

I had never been in the old Post Office when I didn't have to queue for less than 20mins but no doubt the need is greater to sell the building to a brewery for yet another pub

 

Not that I'm saying your PO will become a pub - but they seem hell bent on closing Post Offices down regardless of public opinion.

 

Helen

[hillfamily]

My local PO closed last week

 

Everyone was in uproar - petitions signed, MPs written to, Press alerted.........but to no avail

 

Lovely little PO - easy parking, no lenghty queues, the staff knew you, on the school run route so could combine the two. Fabulous in every way :D

 

Now it's trip into town to the main PO - not far but parking a nightmare and costs, queues out the door and NO I do not want to buy car insurance or switch my phone :evil: , I just want to post a parcel to friends

[Ziggy]

I have no help to offer or suggestions, but just wanted to offer my sympathies...

Our post office in the suburb I live in closed a while ago, and now I have to drive if I have any parcel to send... and yes, no parking is an issue...

 

I always thought of POs as an essential service, but apparenlty now that most of the things they offered can be dealt with on the internet, they're not so needed anymore... I definitely miss mine!!

[Guest]

it's crazy! we live in a town and we have at least 4 post offices within a 2 mile radius of our house. They need to prune the amount of post offices they have in towns rather than close rural ones. Ridiculous!

[Mrs Frugal]

Can't help, I'm afraid Freddie but I share your frustration as our local post office closed down last year. First I knew about it was when I sent the boys to post a parcel for me and they came back to say it was all closed up . We now have to trail 3 miles down into town - has to be by car as I can't walk that far and try to find a parking space and queue up for half an hour some days to post letters abroad and parcels. It is so annoying when it used to be a 5 minute walk up the road and a friendly counter lady at the post office to pass the time of day with.

[Jules.]

I have 3 post offices that i can walk to from my house in less than a mile.

[Mrs Frugal]

It's ridiculous! I live in a fairly large market town and we have just 2 post offices now. One in the centre of town and one on the far side of town . The two which were near here have both been closed leaving nothing in this part of town at all .

[BarbaraJ]

I'm praying ours stays put, its only 2 mins down my road. We have 4-5 in our town i think at least. but the next nearest is 2 miles away by car (don't drive). i wouldn't be selling on ebay anymore if it went as i have excellent feedback because i can send it so quick lol

[Charlottechicken]

My local post office was shut in November 2004, at the height of my ebaying Now anyone round here has a half hour walk uphill in two different directions (if you are reasonably fit) or a £3 round trip on the bus (no parking) to post any letter that is larger, thicker or heavier than will go for the basic postage

 

We had no say in our post office shutting, the postmaster was offered 2 years wages or profit (not sure which as I think they are franchises) to close and as he was coming up to retirement he took it. There was no rhyme or reason for our post office closing, as it was used by a lot of small local businesses, it was extremely busy. I now get through about one stamp per month and email wherever possible, and I used to use the post office a lot.

 

How will we use the services if we cannot access them???

[chelsea]

it's crazy! we live in a town and we have at least 4 post offices within a 2 mile radius of our house. They need to prune the amount of post offices they have in towns rather than close rural ones. Ridiculous!

 

I completely agree!

 

We live in a small rural village and everyone totally relies on the PO so I dont know how we would manage without.

 

Such a shame for you Freddie.

[freddie]

That's cheered me up no end!!

We know there's little we can do, I just had a hope someone would have the magic answer...

[Seagazer]

I think they just do what they want and don't listen to anyone. We had a little post office down the road (area has a LOT of old people). They suddenly closed the po and took the post box outside the shop away!!! Grr!

 

There is one in the high street about a mile or so away. The one that was in Bexleyheath has been moved to a WH Smith and yes, you've guessed it, its upstairs! With a little lift that keeps breaking down. In the words of Homer Simpson - DOH![/b]

[meezers]

The post office in our village closed a couple of years ago, next nearest is a couple of miles away by car - no bus service to speak of and the road is not suitable for pedestrians. Now that one is under threat of closure, if that goes we will have to make a six mile trip into Hereford ( again by car , bus service stinks )ridiculous when you just want to post a small packet. So much for reducing our carbon footprints ! trouble is , it's not a 'service' anymore is it ? it's a business , so they feel justified in closing anything that doesn't make a huge profit.

[hilda-and-evadne]

That's cheered me up no end!!

We know there's little we can do, I just had a hope someone would have the magic answer...

 

A lot of sub post offices have closed in SE7, SE3, SE10 - it's a real pain - but, thinking about it, the ones that have survived and been allowed to continue as post offices have turned themselves into much bigger operations, ie doing more than postal services, pensions, etc. The one nearest to me is like an upmarket corner shop, selling v. expensive greetings cards as well as confectionary, magazines and small toys etc. The main post office in Greenwich doubled its floor area and now sells student supplies as well as cards, sweets, magazines, gift-wrapping, etc.

 

So, if it is not too late for your local post office, the answer might be to knock down the wall into the back room and sell - I am guessing - stuff that farmers need as well as postal services. The magic answer used to be vocal middle-class protest. Nowadays, I think it is: change your business model and find something to sell to every possible category of customer in your catchment area.

[freddie]

its a shop/ post office already and it's profitable...

[Valkyrie]

Our village/town is lucky enough to have a sorting office - great for those in the business park and for collection of parcels (and next door to collect their letters) which is now closing down. I think we would have to go to Basingstoke (assuming there is a sorting office there) or Reading. I wonder when the Post Office will follow.