By Samantha Castle, Reporter
THE livelihood of rural post office businesses like Awelon Stores in Pentrefoelas, who I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with for my Issue in this week's edition of the Weekly News, now lies firmly in the hands of fate.
At the end of July it was revealed that 52 post offices across North Wales are earmarked for closure before the end of the year, and a further 14 to be replaced by mobile outreach services. The public consultation will run until September 15 before Post Office Ltd makes its final decision.
I travelled down the Valley to the closely-knit community of Pentrefoelas to spend some time meeting the local people who use the village post office, which doubles up as the only village shop, to evaluate exactly how the shake-up will affect their lives.
Everyone I spoke to, young and old, were just as concerned that they would lose postmaster Mark Tuck and his partner Sonja Taylor and their twin daughters from the village as they were about losing the thriving post office, general store and cafe.
Mark and Sonja only took the business on two years ago under the impression they were making a sound investment and they soon settled into village life, enrolling their twin girls Sunia and Linnaea into the local school.
But now they face the prospect of going out of business if and when the part-time post office facility is replaced by a weekly outreach service. And under a cruel clause in the postmaster's contract he is denied the opportunity to offer any post office services, including pay-point, mobile phone top-up, and even the selling of stamps, for 12 months.
Mark and Sonja simply can't see the rest of their business surviving without keeping the trade the current post office generates.
A public meeting with a representative from the post office, MP David Jones and AM Darren Millar will take place on Thursday, August 28 at Cerrigydrudion school at 7pm where it is hoped an agreement will be reached regarding the outreach service and the postmaster's contract clause.
In the meantime, during the public consultation period it is up to the public, people like you and me, and anyone who ever uses a local post office, rural or suburban, to show your support by opposing the proposals and sharing your views. People like Mark and Sonja and all the people affected by these proposals are depending on it.
To share your views on the proposals either write to Freepost Consultation Team or e-mail consultation@postoffice.co.uk
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