A VILLAGE has proved that Cheshire residents can help save their local post office.
Community spirit in Great Barrow kept an under-threat store and post office alive after it was vandalised by yobs last summer.
Former owners left the store last year after the windows were smashed by vandals.
Threatened with closure, a group of volunteers came to the rescue and set up a committee to keep the grocery store ticking over.
Led by parish council chairman Ann Faulkner, the village action group set up a rota and manned the store, checked stock, sold groceries and even ran a newspaper round.
The committee successfully applied for a rural retail development grant and appointed Christine Fletcher to manage the store.
However, Barrow residents were again put to the test after they were told the post office would close because the sub-postmistress was retiring.
Again the villagers rallied and four candidates were found to work behind the post office counter. Great Barrow post office now has a new sub-postmaster, Ben Hargreaves, who will ensure the post office runs smoothly while Christine continues to make the Great Barrow stores a success.
Christine explained: “The village has kept the store and the post office open. The store plays a vital part in village life in Barrow. It is the centre of the community.
