theBythams
| castle bytham post office closure added 31/10/07 : updated 11/12/07 : checked 11/12/07 This page is not included in a regular update sequence and will be checked and updated infrequently  castle bytham post office to close : grantham journal added 11/12/07 " All 12 threatened Post Offices in the Grantham area will be closed or replaced with outreach services, Post Office announced today. Branches which will close in January are Brook Street, Hill Avenue, Old Somerby and Colston Bassett. Allington, Barkston, Brant Broughton, Castle Bytham, Folkingham, Rippingale, South Witham and Woolsthorpe branches will all be replaced with an "outreach solution", although Post Office has not specified what these will be yet. They could be a mobile service or one run from other premises such as pubs or shops. Hundreds of protestors joined the Journal's Hands Off campaign and took part in protest marches, signed on-line petitions and even held mock funerals for their Post Office branches during a six-week public consultation that ended last month. Their protests were supported by South Kesteven District Council, Lincolnshire County Council and politicians. Coun Ray Wootten, who campaigned to keep Brook Street Post Office open, said: "It will be a devastating blow to all the elderly residents that rely on the services provided by Brook Street. "It is quite clear that Post Office has not listened to residents' concerns and protests. Another one of our British institutions gone." During the consultation Post Office received 7,100 responses and attended more than 20 meetings with campaigners, including a contingent from Friends of Rippingale Post Office. Post Office will close or replace 86 branches in the East Midlands from January. Network development manager Mark Partington said: "These are difficult decisions which have not been taken lightly. "We have considered very carefully all the comments made during the public consultation. "We believe the amended plan announced today offers our customers across the East Midlands area the best prospect for a sustainable network in the future." Only two of the 88 East Midlands branches originally proposed for closure have been saved - Ryhall Road in Stamford and Melton Road in West Bridgford. Consequently, Post Office has now proposed two further branches for closure in Derbyshire. post office closure decision on hold : stamford mercury added 06/12/07 " Post offices facing closure in the Stamford and Bourne area will have to wait another week before finding out their fate. A decision was expected yesterday on branches under threat in Rippingale, Ryhall Road in Stamford, Stirling Road in Stamford which has already closed, Castle Bytham, Uffington, Folkingham and South Witham. But they now face another tense week after the decision was put back until Tuesday next week (December 11). Stamford and Bourne MP Quentin Davies said: "The decision in relation to these offices originally due this week has been postponed for a further week while further relevant considerations are reviewed. "Stamford deserves, as a minimum, two post offices. The Ryhall Road office is increasing its turnout and does an excellent job serving its local community. If it were closed people unable to walk and without a car would be cut off from access to any post office. "The idea of still more people using their cars in Stamford for internal journeys to use the main post office is a nightmare. Mr Davies has been meeting with Post Office officials since the consultation began in November. He has been fighting to save Ryhall Road, Rippingale and Castle Bytham. Mr Davies said: "These three post offices all have rising turnovers, dedicated postmasters willing and eager to continue who have invested heavily in their business, and immense support from their customers. I am committed to doing everything possible to ensure that they survive." A post office spokesman said the delay was to allow all the relevant material to be considered before reaching a decision. The Post Office is now consulting on the possible closures of branches in Collyweston, Exton, Whissendine and Somerby and Tilton-on-the-Hill on the Rutland and Leicestershire border. " funeral march for village post office : stamford mercury added 01/11/07  " Villagers in Castle Bytham staged a solemn 22-mile cortege journey, complete with undertaker and hearse, in protest at the proposed closure of their post office. The campaigners, all dressed in black, travelled from Knipton in the Vale of Belvoir to The Castle Inn in Bytham, to highlight the strength of opposition to the closure. Knipton has been suggested to Castle Bytham as a possible alternative for postal services. Morris Felton, of the Save Our Post Office action group, said: "Knipton has a population of 147 and Castle Bytham has about 5,000, with plans approved by South Kesteven District Council for expansion. Yet Knipton is staying open and our village outlet is threatened. It does not make sense." In the funeral cortege, some of the protesters wore top hats and walked at a funereal pace behind the vehicle, which contained an empty coffin. Village shopkeeper Nicky Lyon, who runs the post office with husband Mark, was on the trek. "It went very well," she said. "Support is 100 per cent in the village and we're getting superb backing from Little Bytham, Swayfield, Corby Glen and all around. Our shop serves 6,000 people from 14 villages. Two things are certain. We will not accept an outreach post office and the demonstrations will continue until the Post Office justifies its criteria for closure." The funeral cortege was organised by Morris, Charlotte Thur man, manager of The Castle Inn and fellow action group members Dierdre Pawsey and Giles Mullen. It set off from Knipton village hall at 9.45am and arrived in Castle Bytham at 11.30am. Charlotte, who has lived in the area since she was seven, said: "This village has a high proportion of elderly, young mothers and people who work from home and rely on post office facilities. If they are ended we will become a stagnant hamlet. " mock funeral held for post office : bbc news report added 31/10/07  " People campaigning against the planned closure of their village post office have organised a funeral procession to mourn the end of the service. Dozens of residents from Castle Bytham, near Stamford, Lincolnshire, dressed in black and carried a coffin through the streets to highlight their protest. More than 40 post offices in Lincolnshire have been earmarked for closure or will be downgraded. The closures aim to stem the financial losses of post offices all over the UK. "We're mourning the proposed closure of our post office," said Castle Blyth campaigner Deirdre Pausey. "But that's not all. There's more to it. We're asking the Post Office why they are recommending we make the 44-mile round trip on public transport to supposedly reach our nearest post office." The Post Office has said the national network was losing money and was not sustainable in its current form. The Post Office has to make sure 95% of the total population in rural areas will be within three miles of their nearest branch. " |