OUR POST OFFICES MUST BE NURTURED

I READ in last Thursday’s Weekly News (September 24) with a sense of familiarity about the closure of Llanrhos Post Office, which I have used for some years.

I wish the owner well in the continuation of part of his business. There are clearly some very basic general issues regarding the sustainability of village shops and post offices.

They are an asset which provide considerable added value, both social and financial, to the local area. A few examples, a list which is by no means exhaustive, include a venue for people to meet; a facility to share news or events (good and bad); sell tickets for local events; collect money and goods/sell items for local charities; take in parcels when people are out/away.

The overheads of running a small shop are significant and the size of turnover obviously does not enable price competition with supermarkets.

The hours are long, as for many self-employed people, and in some cases living “on the job” makes it a complete lifestyle.

If communities really do want to keep both post offices and village shops, then they need to nurture them as endangered species. This means purchasing more than newspapers and actively supporting the shop to offer a service that supplies your needs.

So support them now. Waiting until they are about to become extinct is too late.