Humshaugh villagers hope to get post office back

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Villagers who raised £36,000 to save their only shop from the threat of closure are now exploring the possibility of restoring its axed post office service.

Families in Humshaugh, near Hexham, have been using a visiting mobile service provided by Post Office Ltd since their local counter - based in the village store - was removed a year ago as part of the nationwide closure programme.

Last November the store was taken over and is now being run as a community business by Humshaugh Community Ventures, a company set up by volunteers in the village.

Now they have expressed an interest in reinstating the post office service within the shop, which would mean longer opening times than the eight hours a week the mobile unit currently spends in the village.

Exploratory talks are taking place between directors of Humshaugh Community Ventures (HCV) and Post Office Ltd officials on the move - which could see a partner service set up in the store linked by computer to Stocksfield Post Office.

People in Humshaugh lost the battle to save their post office in 2008. They then decided to set up HCV and raised £36,000 in funding to ensure that the village's only shop was not lost too.

It is now operating successfully with the support of volunteer staff - and a report to county councillors next week says the management committee has "expressed a willingness" to reinstate post office provision in the building. Regeneration officials at the county council are involved in the discussions on restoring a post office service to the Humshaugh village store.

Yesterday Dick Moules, a parish councillor who chairs the village shop committee, said: "We had a meeting with two post office officials just to explore the opportunities. It is early days yet.

"The Post Office needs to look at the situation and if the response is positive we would hold a public meeting to discuss it and have a six-week consultation period."

Mr Moules said a shop-based service would not include things like car tax and foreign currency, which are available via the mobile post office. "The benefit of having it back in the shop would be that the post office could be open every hour the shop was open."

HCV was set up after village store owners, Pat and Rob Gray, announced they were retiring, sparking fears that the shop could close, leaving villagers with a six-mile trip to do their shopping.

The nearest alternative post office, at Simonburn four miles away, survived the national cull of branches. However, it later emerged that the Simonburn counter was "temporarily" closed in July 2008, and has not reopened since.

Last night a Post Office spokesman said the company had met the villagers and that discussions with them were continuing.