THE residents of Christow are rallying against the proposed closure of their much-loved post office, arguing that the cutting off of this lifeline would be a 'disaster'. With many residents unable to drive or use the internet, they argue that the move would leave the village isolated.

The news follows the decision of the owner and current postmaster of Christow Stores, the current site of the Post Office, to shut the business on May 31st.

Residents had been given until May 4th to register their views on the closure. Although the landlord and landlady of the local pub, the Artichoke, attempted to save the service by offering to take over the contract, almost immediately, Post Office retail team told them that it would not be possible to move the branch and that no outreach service would be possible either.

Mark Cooke, landlord of the Artichoke, said: ‘I had argued against that. I think it is viable to have a post office here, especially in a pub, because its not anything extra to have it here. In actual fact, it’s probably going to create an extra 40 staff hours, which is brilliant as it’d bring extra employment into the village as well.’ 

Parish Council Chair, Tom Archer, said: ‘This is a real blow for us. The local branch is a lifeline for many residents who do not drive and cannot use online services. We have many elderly or disadvantaged people who rely on it for a range of services including banking. There is no alternative branch with a bus route to it.'

Residents are furious that their voices will not be heard by the Post Office and are calling on local MP Mel Stride to get behind their campaign. A letter has also been penned and is being signed by every villager calling for Post Office to change their decision.

One villager’s letter read: ‘We are writing to ask for your help to keep the Post Office in Christow.

Our Post Office is currently located in Christow Stores but the owner of the shop has recently resigned as Postmaster and will be closing both the PO and the stores on 31s May this year.

'The Post Office has announced this as a 'temporary closure and state that we will always look to reopen branches when they close'. We are asking for your support in ensuring that this is indeed a temporary closure.

‘To lose our Post Office would be a disaster for the village. It is a lifeline for many of our residents who do not drive or who cannot use online services. We have many elderly or disadvantaged people who rely on it for the range of services it offers including banking. With their notice of closure, the Post Office has included a list of the alternative nearest branches. Not one has a direct public transport link.

‘A round bus trip to Exeter - the only bus service - takes at least three hours.

'The usual advice in these situations is to switch to online services. But even those who have a computer or smartphone and know how to use these cannot do so because of poor broadband speeds in parts of the parish and complete lack of a mobile signal in most areas. As you will know, you cannot log on to a bank account or even make an online payment now without being sent a code by SMS.

‘In addition, we have a large of number of residents in rented, housing association homes with prepayment meters. They rely on the Post Office to top up their electricity credits.

‘We do have some hope, however, that with your help, the Post Office may be relocated to the village pub, The Artichoke Inn, which is the only other central location with suitable premises and parking. The landlord and landlady have already written to the PO to say they would like to take it on but were sent an immediate reply saying that the PO is not looking for a replacement service in Christow at the moment.

‘This instant dismissal of the offer from the Artichoke Inn is very disappointing, especially since the relocation would mean extended opening hours, seven days a week. We hope this reply was sent in error. We note that in 2015, when the separate Post Office premises in Christow closed, there was no hesitation in relocating the service to Christow Stores and there should be none in 2023.

Mel, please can you speak to your contacts at the Post Office - a government-owned service - to help us to put the case for keeping a branch open in Christow?’

A spokesperson for the Post Office responded: ‘A Post Office spokesperson said: ‘Christow Post Office is due to close on Wednesday 31 May at 3pm due to the resignation of the Postmaster. There is an alternative Post Office at Dunsford that has the capacity to serve additional customers.

‘Post Office is facing a particularly challenging period, as are other high street retailers. The impact of rising costs, inflation and reduced Government funding mean that Post Office must ensure its limited resources benefit the most customers across the country, and that the network remains sustainable. 

‘Unfortunately, local demand in the area currently is not at a level that can sustain a full-service branch and we will therefore not be replacing this branch, at this time. 

‘We apologise for any inconvenience caused to customers. Post Office will, as a matter of course, continue to review customer demand in the Christow area should it change and require additional Post Office provision in the future.’