Save Our Post Office

Nearby Village PO Offers to Close Instead …
If Only Authorities Will Listen


More than 20 stalwart villagers staged a run on the resources of a small rural post office this morning to demonstrate Post Office Ltd’s lack of local knowledge in their county-wide post office closures programme. 

This, the latest volley in an unusual grassroots pressure campaign to save Greenodd Post Office follows the release of a commemorative ale in a village-wide celebration over the weekend. 

“Bridie’s Brew” is being sold to support the Campaign to Save Greenodd Post Office. The local Ulverston Brewing Company is producing the limited edition, traditional light ale.

Greenodd, located on the edge of the Lake District, is one of the many English villages faced with losing its local post office , due to cutbacks by Post Office Ltd.

But this community has bitten back with a remarkable grassroots campaign.

Janet Willis, subpostmistress of the seemingly sleepy village of Greenodd, has energised the Cumbrian countryside for miles around with a call to arms. In response, customers from all walks of life have been contributing their energies to help the campaign.

Local businesses, the District Council, farmers, Parish Councils, school children and the local Women’s Institute have all joined forces to lobby Post Office, Ltd. So far, the company has refused to meet with the local community, though the campaigners have enlisted the help of their local Liberal Democrat MP, Tim Farron. 

“This isn’t just a matter of convenience,” says Subpostmistress Janet Willis. She notes that the area has been chosen for future residential and light industrial development, which could be endangered. Furthermore, the Village Shop which houses the post office might well be forced to close its doors, further depressing the local economy.

Adrian Moore, subpostmaster at Grizebeck, who has already shown his support by attending the public meeting on 26 March, knows he simply does not have the resources to replace Greenodd Post Office. “It’s crazy to keep me open and to close a busy village post office like Greenodd!” Mr. Moore explains, ‘It would make more sense to close my doors than Greenodd’.

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To learn more about the campaign to Save Greenodd Post Office - Save Rural Life, please visit our website www.saveourpostoffice.net. 
Interviews, photographs and other material are all available upon request. 

A free pint of Bridie’s Brew is on tap for journalists who would like to come see this story for themselves.




Click below to download: BRIDIE’S BUGLE - Issue 2 (PDF 2.5mb)

April 26, 2008 Greenodd, Cumbria - Rt Hon William Hague, Member of Parliament for Richmond (Yorks) & Shadow Foreign Secretary and Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet today made a surprise visit to the rural post office in Greenodd, Cumbria. Mr. Hague was accompanied by Nicholas Gleave. Greenodd is celebrating the launch of “Bridie’s Brew” a bespoke ale created to support the post office campaign. Mr. Hague, was presented with a bottle of the beer, brewed by local Ulverston Brewing Company, and signed the petition to Save Greenodd Post Office.

Janet Willis, Subpostmistress, said “It was a huge surprise that William Haugue took the time on his brief visit to our area to show his support for the Campaign to Save Greenodd Post Office.”Greenodd is the centre of a lively grassroots campaign to save its busy post office.The village is the hub of a network of local businesses and is essential to many of the widespread residents of the Crake Valley, at the edge of the Lake District National Park.  Photo credit Jessica Young

In the four short weeks since the first community meeting to gauge public feeling about the proposed closure, the Campaign has:

created website designed and managed by a local arts student
distributed over 1000 badges and 500 car stickers
produced and distributed 2 volumes of “Bridie’s Bugle” newsletter
hosted performance arts demonstration by thirty-one 7, 8 and 9 year old village school children
featured in the two local newspapers on 9 separate occasions, on “You and Yours” Radio 4 and on local BBC Radio Cumbria
demonstrated with the local Liberal Democrat MP, Tim Farron

The Campaign is supported by:

4,000 petition signatories
the local Women’s Institute and five local Parish Councils
South Lakeland District Council Cabinet who issued a resolution to petition Post Office Ltd. to keep Greenodd Post Office open
more than 50 local businesses who have formed the Crake Valley Business Action Group to lobby on behalf of Greenodd Post Office
Ulverston Brewing Co., local artisan brewery which has generously created “Bridie’s Brew”
and, most importantly, YOU!

Thank you

You are invited to attend the launch of Bridie’s Brew on

Saturday 26 April 2008 at 2.00 pm

at The Ship Inn, Main Street, Greenodd

Ulverston Brewing Company have kindly brewed this limited edition beer to assist the Campaign to Save Greenodd Post Office.

The beer will be delivered by horse & dray then the party will begin!

RSVP

PLEASE SEE THESE MINUTES DOWNLOADED FROM THE SLDC WEBSITE TODAY
http://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=797&f=d&m=2219

GENERAL EXECUTIVE MATTERS EX/351
POST OFFICE LIMITED – AREA PLAN PROPOSAL FOR CUMBRIA –
CONSULTATION RESPONSE

Summary It was reported that Post Office Limited had issued the Area Plan Proposals for Cumbria, which included those proposals directly affecting facilities in South Lakeland District. The proposals listed those Post Offices that were identified for closure, “Outreach” Services and those remaining in the network. A period of public consultation had begun on 18 March 2008 and would end on 27 May 2008.

The Community Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee had given extensive consideration to the report at a meeting held on 8 April 2008 and notes and recommendations made at the meeting were circulated for information.
Attention was drawn to the fact that it was “Leven Valley” and not “Levens” Post Office which was scheduled for closure, as stated within the notes.

Decision RESOLVED –
That (1) Cabinet recognises that some Post Offices offer a strategic value to the communities they serve which outweighs any losses they make.
In South Lakeland – particularly in respect of Dent, Greenodd, Leven Valley and Beetham, these Post Offices offer a social premium worth paying for; and

(2) the Post Office Limited and Postwatch be urged to lobby the Government to acknowledge the community value of these Post Offices and seek additional funding to secure their future, taking into account:-
(a) the key messages on developing strong and prosperous communities set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007; and
(b) the land allocated for development in the Council’s Core Strategy and the potential implications the Post Office proposals may have for the Core Strategy and policies it contains.

Reasons for Decision The decision relates to the following Priority Outcomes of the Council’s Corporate Plan:-
• Health Communities – The needs of an aging population are supported [Priority 8].
• Safer Cleaner Greener Stronger Communities – Stronger communities as a result of increased community involvement in the design, delivery of, and access to high quality local services [Priority 6].

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected Alternative options have not been considered at this time as the consultation period is insufficient to enable this to be undertaken in any significant manner.

You’d have thought they were giving away sticky toffee pudding at Booth’s on Saturday the crowds were so thick you could hardly see what was going on!The WI had volunteered to gather petition signatures and all volunteers,particularly Mr. & Mrs. Tricker who asked to be known as the “oldest” of our volunteers, did a fantastic job!

The day out at Booth’s brought 357 more signatures to our Petition and we’d like to thank each and every person who gave their time and energy to help with this important part of the campaign.Thanks also to Booth’s, Ulverston, for giving us this opportunity for outreach.

SAVE THE DATE
Tuesday 15th April, 2008 - 9:30 am - Greenodd Village Hall

Primary School Students Stage Creative Demonstration against the proposed closure of Greenodd Village Post Office.

Year 3 & 4 pupils from Penny Bridge School will stage an outdoor performance / demonstration with hand-crafted props on the site of the outreach service which is supposed to replace their much loved village Post Office.

Working in conjunction with the grassroots campaign - Save Greenodd Post Office - Save Rural Life - thirty 7, 8 and 9 year olds from Penny Bridge School want to demonstrate just how little the Post Office understands their village life.

Lou Reed one of the mothers who instigated the project explains, “The Post Office just doesn’t understand the needs of our village and of the larger community around Greenodd and Penny Bridge. The proposed outreach service they’ve suggested just won’t work for us. First of all we need a full-time post office not just a few hours on odd days of the week but also they just won’t be able to find a parking space outside the Village Hall.”

Helen Iddon the other organizer continues, “We’ve got a wonderful, creative way to demonstrate just how impractical the Post Office plan is! Our kids are very excited about making this statement in support of village life. But we can’t say too much or we’ll spoil the surprise!”

CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS grabbed more media attention on Tuesday at the opening of the A590 bypass. About 20 supporters - dressed in red and waving signs - drew a lot of media attenion at the offical bypass opening on Tuesday 8th April. You can see a clip of the demonstration on the Westmorland Gazette video site by copying this link into your browser

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/kendalgazettevideonews/index.var.25192.0.0.php

or, perhaps more easily, go to www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk and click on Westmorland videos then click on the bypass video.

AT THAT VERY SAME TIME, Janet Willis was attending a meeting of SLDC’s Community Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee in Kendal and had a chance to speak on behalf of the post office as did local business supporters Sheila Saunders, David Briggs and Paul Broom. Post Office employees Richard Lynds (the Network Development Manager we’re all spending so much time writing to) along with Julia Young, Senior External Relations Manager for the Post Office were also in attendance. The Committee gave their unanimous support for the survival of Greenodd Post Office.