Residents of Marton, Welshpool, are to lose their Outreach Post Office.

Residents of Marton, Welshpool, are to lose their Outreach Post Office. Councillor Heather Kidd explains.

Transcript

00:00 Well the post office have decided to remove any service now to the village.

00:05 At one time they had a full-time post office, then they had a post office that was available

00:10 at the end of the week at lunch times within the shop.

00:13 When the shop closed it came here at 9.30 on a Monday and they've decided it's not

00:18 viable and they're removing it.

00:20 The poster for that arrived last week and they're shutting it today.

00:27 So when this closes today, where is the nearest post office for residents to use?

00:33 They will have to go to Cherbury or to Worthing.

00:37 Just for people who don't know, just explain how far away that is really.

00:40 Cherbury is about three and a half miles and Worthing is more like four and a half to five

00:45 miles.

00:46 Goodness me.

00:47 And there isn't any public transport to speak of.

00:50 There are four buses a day but one's at 7.30 in the morning and another one at 5.30 at

00:55 night and you'd have to spend two hours in Cherbury if you wanted to.

00:59 And there's not a lot to do in Cherbury.

01:02 There is a cafe, there is a shop, but two hours is a long time to wait for a bus back.

01:08 So really it's the inconvenience that's the issue isn't it?

01:11 It seems to be serving elderly people more than anybody else.

01:14 It is, it's older people that use it.

01:17 And I think the really distressing thing is they've now lost virtually every service

01:21 that was in the village.

01:23 They've lost the shop, they've lost the sun in, the school went a few years ago.

01:29 So the village hall is about the only meeting place.

01:33 And the post office meant people could gather here.

01:38 What they really want is the post office to give them another six months to a year where

01:42 they could do a drop in at lunchtime.

01:45 When people could actually stop work to bring their parcels.

01:48 And so you get an older, a younger age group coming in as well.