Post office due for closure 'a lifeline'

The post office in Shilbottle will close on 30 May

Campaigners say they are determined to save a village post office which is a "lifeline for elderly people".

The current shop on Grange Road in Shilbottle, Northumberland will, close on 30 May due to the resignation of the postmaster.

A public meeting held on 13 May was attended by more than 100 people.

Elisabeth Haddow, chair of Shilbottle Parish Council, said: "This village has had a post office for over 100 years and my husband ran it for 29 years, so I'm not giving up on it now,"

About 100 people attended a meeting about the closure

"It's all about social inclusion," she said.

"People get out, they meet neighbours. A post office is the centre of village life.

"With all the banks closing, we need to fight for these rural services."

Campaigners say the construction of new houses mean a post office is needed more than ever

Two nearby towns are losing bank branches, with Lloyds and Halifax closing in Alnwick and TSB pulling out of Amble.

The campaigners hope they can find alternative premises for the post office and say they have someone who may be willing to run it, but it will take time and money.

"It could take us six months to reopen and it'll cost us money, £13,000 for all the equipment we'll need, so there'll be a lot of fundraising to do," Mrs Haddow explained.

"But this is an expanding village, 54 houses are being built at the moment and it needs a post office."

Trevor Thorne, the local Conservative county councillor for the village, said: "We have an elderly population in Shilbottle, a lot of retired people.

"Many of them aren't very mobile, they need something in their own village."

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