Improvements made to Dudleston Heath Post Office
Improvements have been made to Dudleston Heath Post Office after the local branch was taken over following the retirement of its previous Postmaster.
Lynn and Ian Johnson took over the branch at Criftins Parish Hall after long-serving Postmaster Heather Clay retired in early December after 16 years in the role which included the relocation of the Post Office into the Parish Hall in 2011. At the same time Heather's assistant, Gill Hayward also decided to take this opportunity to retire after 40 years working locally for the Post Office.
The Johnsons took over at the busiest time of the year. They immediately increased the opening hours from two days to six days a week.
Mrs Johnson, who had previously worked for Debenhams for 35 years, decided she wanted to offer a small range of greetings cards and stationery.
As the Post Office is the foyer of Criftins Parish Hall, which is used by a wide variety of community groups, the couple needed to create an area to lock away their merchandise when the Post Office was not in use.
This £3,250 project was funded by the Post Office Community Branch Development Scheme, which is available to Post Office branches, where there is no other retailer who could operate a post office within half a mile. The grant paid for a false wall to be installed and a roller shutter, plus mobile storage displays for the new range of greetings cards and stationery. The Post Office signage has also been improved.
Criftins Parish Hall committee has also been busy fundraising and recently secured a grant for £25,000 from the Princes Fund to refurbish the bar and create a community kitchen. Additional funding has also been secured from Tesco, The Co-op, Persimmon Homes and Ellesmere Rural Parish Council alongside numerous private donations.
There is an open day planned at the Parish Hall on 10 August 10am – 4pm to help raise awareness about all the improvements made to the hall and Post Office. Coffee, cake and lunches will be served, and the bar will be open from 12 noon. The Post Office will be open throughout that time and Lynn will be offering 10 per cent off cards and stationery and distributing Post Office goody bags to customers.
Lynn and Ian share the Postmaster role, which allows them time for other non-work activities.
Lynn said: “Both Ian and I worked in the corporate world and we were looking for a business opportunity closer to home. We wanted a better work life balance and we have now got that. We really enjoy being an important part of the Dudleston Heath community.
“People really welcome having a full-time Post Office as they now know that the branch is open every day, except Sunday, rather than in the past having to remember which two days the branch was open.
“There are many elderly people in the community, many of whom don’t drive and they appreciate that they can do their Post Office transactions and there is somewhere selling cards and stationery in Dudleston Heath as it is around two and a half miles to the nearest shop. There is also very easy disabled access.
“The Post Office is here for all generations. People can also combine a visit to the Post Office with attending clubs and activities at the hall. We offer a wide range of Post Office services including free cash withdrawals, banking on behalf of all the major banks and pre-order travel money. There is also a free car park, so we get passing customers, who really appreciate the easy parking and quick service.”
Dudleston Heath Post Office offers customers a wide range of Post Office services, from posting letters and parcels to collecting and returning online shopping items. Customers can also take advantage of a wide range of banking services including cash withdrawals, deposits and balance enquiries for customers of all the main UK banks.
