Mobile Post Office service for village
A temporary mobile Post Office to serve Drymen is to be introduced next month while a permanent solution is sought.
It follows the decision earlier this year to close the Post Office counter at the village’s Spar store, effective from Tuesday, October 5 at 3pm.
Spar owner CJ Lang had said it was “not viable”to offer Post Office services at 31 of its stores across Scotland, including Drymen.
The move was greeted with dismay by Stirling politicians including MP Alyn Smith.
However, the Post Office announced this week that it is to introduce a mobile service two days per week, provided by the postmaster for Kippen,“to maintain the service to the Drymen community”.
It will start on Thursday, October 7, stopping at The Square next to the bus stop on Old Gartmore Road in the pleased to be able to maintain Post Office services in Drymen as we know how important a Post Office is to a community whilst we continue to look for a permanent solution.”
Following the announcement that the Post Office at the Spar store would cease, a Drymen Community Council spokesperson said:“CJ Lang’s decision to withdraw Post Office services in Drymen, will severely impact our predominantly elderly community, many of whom have no personal transport, and who rely heavily on the banking and other services offered by the post office.
“With no public transport link to the nearest Post Office services some four miles away, CJ Lang have put their commercial interests before their community responsibilities, by withdrawing this invaluable lifeline.”
Stirling MP Alyn Smith had described it as“hugely disappointing”adding:“I’ll be reaching out to the senior management of Spar and the Post Office to explore their thinking behind this decision, as well as local stakeholder groups to hear more about their concerns.”