Local people making their corner of rural Britain unique
This week
Saturday 1st March
Matt Baker visits 3 villages in North Yorkshire this week to find out how post offices there are coping with the recent news of closures.
It’s estimated that about 2,500 post offices are expecting to be shut down across the country by 2009. Post Office Ltd says that closures are needed as fewer numbers of us are using the branches and instead, are using more services online. Some of the closures, particularly those in rural areas, will be replaced by mobile post offices which will operate an allotted numbers of hours per week.
In early February, it was announced that 47 post offices in the North and East Yorkshire region will be closing in the next few months. Matt visits three villages in the area.
Matt meets Ian Hughes, who was told three weeks ago that the Post Office he runs in Terrington would be closing. In order to diversify, Ian has opened an art gallery which he hopes will offset the loss incurred with the closure of the post office.
Matt also meets the shareholders and volunteers of Stillington Post Office and Stores who all came together to stop the closure of what they describe as the ‘hub of their village’.
Finally Matt travels to the village of Nunnington to meet Margaret Timbrell who has ran the Post Office there for the last 7 years – from her own home! Matt finds out how the locals have reacted to the forthcoming closure and whether the mobile Post office will be able to meet the needs of the villagers.
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