This week the Chronicle launches two campaigns to highlight the threats facing community life in our county.
Following last week’s announcement to close 11 post offices in our area we are running The Last Post?, a series of articles to give residents the chance to make their voices heard in the battle to save their local service. This week we look at Ditherington.
Town residents have turned out in force to save their post office from closure and have added their names to a petition of more than 1,000 signatures.
Ditherington Post Office, in Mount Pleasant Road, is set to close in August as part of the Government’s national cull. Following the closure announcement on April 1, the community has pledged support for their postmaster, who they say has provided a helpful and efficient service for eight years.
A protest meeting organised by Councillor Alan Mosley will be held next Wednesday, April 16, in Mount Pleasant Infant School at 7.30pm.
Postmaster Peter Shemar has more than 26 years experience running post offices in Shropshire. This could be the third post office closure he has witnessed.
He said: “It is a good post office, a busy post office. The reason that I took it over was to earn a steady income for my family. It’s going to be difficult when they close the post office. We’re all worried; it will affect the bank if they take the customers away from the area.”
Mr Shemar said that he has no plans to make any job cuts, but services provided by the post office, such as travel insurance and payment for bills, would be unavailable when the branch closed.
He said: “Most services will go. After that it will just become a shop.” Mary Goss, of Whitehouse Gardens, uses the post office up to five times a week to collect her pension and pay her bills. She said: “It’s very well used and it’s always packed. The people who run this post office are a credit to their profession.”
Jennifer Clarkson, 65, of Heath Farm, said: “Mr Shemar provides a really good service. He’s very helpful and obliging and that’s what people want. I’ve signed the petition and I hope it goes well.”
Raymond Stiff, 75, of Heathgates, said: “It’s a very busy post office and there are queues through this door in the morning. We all need this – it is where I have a good natter in the morning. Now it’ll just be a place just to get your papers and it’s going to ruin the area.”
If Ditherington Post Office was to close Sentinel Gardens Post Office, Whitchurch Road, would be the nearest service – although residents are not convinced.
Mother-of-five Emma Davies, 25, of Wingfield Close, said: “It’s a lot smaller up there and there’s a lot better disabled access here. It is a lot easier for me to visit Ditherington Post Office especially with kids.
“The closure means I will have to change to a bank but I would much rather keep my money in this post office.”
Brian Dunn, 64, of Mount Pleasant, said: “The access just isn’t as good at Sentinel Gardens. It is small and bad for parking. People use this post office at the same time as the bank because they can park.”
Ronald Wear, 70, of Old Heath, said: “At Sentinel Gardens it is so narrow and hard to get a wheelchair access because when people are coming out there isn’t enough space between the counter and the shop. I can not see that the post office there is going to cope with the volume of people.”
Mary Ann Stokes, 57, of Sundorne, is a wheelchair user. She said: “Sentinel Gardens has got a very steep step and I can’t get up it. There’s a lot more easier access here. It’s a bigger shop with more room.”
Mike Hill, Sentinel Gardens relief manager said: “There is a ramp in to the shop. We do have disabled shoppers who come in on wheelchairs and who are using sticks.
“There have been comments about the steep ramp as it is fairly steep.”
Town MP Daniel Kawczynski said: “Mr Shemar feels very let down by the Government and the Post Office. He is very determined to fight the proposals and he has my total support for that.
“With regards to senior citizens or people with disabilities, to force them to have to travel further distances by car for basic things that the post office provides is simply wrong. It’s regression.”
For more on the Villages under Siege campaign, read page 4 of this week’s Shrewsbury Chronicle, on sale now.