Dear Editor,

At Winford Community Shop we were sad to hear that Chew Magna Post Office is closing as though we are slight competitors we have a very friendly relationship with Myra often picking her brains on some obscure Post Office knowledge and cooperating if either of us has problems.

We will of course welcome any of Myra’s customers to use our Post Office Counter which is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm, and on Saturday from 9am to noon though we are not allowed to offer some of the passport and insurance services that Myra used to supply. The shop is open slightly longer hours including Sunday morning.

It’s worth looking at what we believe are the reasons for the closure some of which have been explained in the local media. Chew Magna Post Office was a larger stand-alone branch with little room to sell other products and would have been receiving a higher level of remuneration than branches like ours. Post Office Ltd is trying to increase profits after years of losses and a result is reduced subsidies to smaller branches. In Chew Magna’s case we assume this is by downgrading the site to a Post Office Local which can receive far less remuneration, making it unviable for Myra to continue.

Our Post Office has been a “local” since the shop became community run in 2019? As it was the only way POL would allow us to operate. It’s important to understand how this model works. POL supplies our safes, IT system (an updated version of the infamous Horizon) alarm system and support etc. We operate on their behalf and are responsible for any losses e.g. accepting a dodgy £20 note. In return we are paid based on the type and number of transactions with some degree of rural subsidy. We are currently paid less £20,000 per year and this has to cover the cost of POL highly trained staff for 40 hours a week and all our overheads. I suspect we can all do the maths. Our PO counter is therefore unviable and is actually subsidised by the shop! So why do we do it? Well, it’s a vital service particularly for those not digitally connected who are mainly the oldest members of society. The Post Office and associated Royal Mail still has some Universal Service Obligations which means it still offers some services not viable in the private sector. It also increases footfall giving the shop opportunity for additional sales

So please use your Post Office when you can and if it’s a local like ours please try and use the shop at the same time.

Now a bit about our community shop, its run by a volunteer committee and is staffed seven days a week 364 days a year by about 30 volunteers with a hardcore of around 10 doing 90 per cent of the shifts. We also have people doing our accounts, epos system, buying and maintenance etc for free. Since 2019 we have been marginally profitable and have invested any profits back into the business. But due to increased digital connection and associated demographics we are now struggling to break even.

So, the message is use us or lose us.

If you are local, consider helping us in any way or volunteering. You can do something interesting of huge value and become better connected with the community. WCS is committed to providing our vital local service together with all the additional social benefits for the community as long as possible.

Simon Martin

On behalf of the shop committee.

Dear Editor,

I just wanted to say a big thank you to the team of volunteers who spent a very wet Sunday morning today clearing all the litter from the roadside and hedges along the Chilcompton road.

They have done a fantastic job all the way from the roundabout at Oliver Brookes Rd to Church Lane in Chilcompton.

It can’t have been a pleasant task. This road has been littered with cans, sandwich wrappers, bottles, plastic and empty crisp packets which we can only assume people have thrown out of car windows. It just begs the question…why?

Thank you again to all those who have made the road clean again. For how long, who knows?

Kind regards,

Jackie Hammans, via email

Dear Editor,

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