Community begins campaign to save Heptonstall Post Office from closure

A group of residents have banded together in an effort to save Heptonstall Post Office from closing following the retirement of the Postmaster.
Friends of Heptonstall Post Office.Friends of Heptonstall Post Office.
Friends of Heptonstall Post Office.

For 21 years the village has been blessed with Postmaster and shopkeeper Tony Spink

Sadly for residents Tony has decided to retire at the end of this year.

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Unfortunately no individual purchaser is interested in taking over Tony’s reins, leaving him faced with an impossible choice.

Either never being able to retire or sell the property for development into a holiday let.

Everyone who knows and uses the Post Office were mortified by the prospect of closure, so much so that they have come together with a view to buying and running the Post Office and shop as a community business.

After launching a steering group they have launched an online survey at bit.ly/HPOsurvey which looks to establish the extent of financial support for the project and opinion on whether the plan is a good one.

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There is also a website www.heptonstallpo.org and Facebook group that will be kept up to date with developments.

The survey is gauging support for this new community business idea and how much the community might be able to invest.

The plan is to buy the property along with the business, which will then be run with a mixture of paid and volunteer staff.

The business will be owned and run by the community, in order to serve the community.

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If successful, the business should be able to pay interest on shares and, could be withdrawn over time.

Pledges have been rolling in since the survey was launched.

Tony said “I am so glad that people feel so passionately about this.

“I am feeling very optimistic and immensely proud of everyone working so hard to make this happen.”

To take part in the survey or make a pledge to help keep Heptonstall Post Office alive and serving everyone who uses it, visit bit.ly/HPO survey .