Ross-shire village fears for future of hall as plug pulled on post office service

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A WORRIED community fears the loss of its Post Office will jeopardise the future of its vital village hall.

The Post Office has confirmed that its outreach service at Achnasheen Village Hall will not return.

The hall hosted a Post Office for two hours, one day every week, before the Covid pandemic forced its closure last May.

However, any hope that it would return now that lockdown measures are easing, appears to have been dashed.

And, although the Post Office insists it is "working hard to reinstate" some form of service to Achnasheen, the village is set to remain without its outreach service for the foreseeable future.

That has raised fears over the future of the village hall, which is understood to have relied on the £20 rent paid by the Post Office every week to cover 60 per cent of the building's running costs.

Without that vital cash lifeline, locals are concerned it may lead to the hall's closure too.

Worried community organisations, such as the Garve and District Development Company (GDCC) and Achnasheen Amenities Group, have now launched a campaign to get the Post Office to reverse the move.

"Without it, it is likely that we will have to close the hall permanently. This will severely impact our ability to meet and live as a residential and business community."

And, as well as publishing an open letter which they are urging the public to sign, a number of local councillors, MSPs and MPs have been contacted to secure their support too.

In their letter to the Post Office, published on the GDCC website, the Achnasheen Amenities Group said: "The Community Hall is the ‘social lounge’ for us, our social heart, where all residents meet, loneliness and isolation overcome, and community cohesion built and sustained. It also provides a meeting place for business, charity and local interest groups.

"Although the post office is only open two hours a week, the small hire charge of £20 per week to the hall provides 60 per cent of its annual income. This is irreplaceable in other ways, given our relatively remote location. Without it, it is likely that we will have to close the hall permanently. This will severely impact our ability to meet and live as a residential and business community."

Highland list Green MSP, Ariane Burgess, has urged the Post Office to think again. She said: “The loss of this already minimal service would be a significant blow for residents in Achnasheen.

"While the link with Kinlochewe has ensured some continuity of service since the closure of the full-time office some years ago the pandemic has shown the fragility of such a service.

"Post Office Limited have experienced record turnover during the pandemic so it is only reasonable that they support the continued operation of lifeline services like this one. I’ve written to both the local Postmaster and the Post Office CEO to try and find a way for us to work together to secure a sustainable future for services in Achnasheen."

Ward councillor Ian Cockburn added: "I've got concerns, big concerns, and I've brought it to the attention of the MP [Ian Blackford] who will be writing as well to see what can be done. I don't think the Post Office realise that, it may only be pounds but [that money] helps the community maintain and keep the village hall going. They don't care and don't realise. We will fight it and see what can be done."

He continued: ""The problem with the Post Office is that it's been privatised and there's no social connection to areas now. Back in the days, there were post buses, everybody knew everybody and postmen went above their duty. All that is gone. It's all just money making and drop-off points."

Confirming the end of the Achnasheen service, a Post Office spokesperson said: “It has not been possible to provide an outreach Post Office service at Achnasheen village hall since May 2020 due to the hall being closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Postmaster, who had provided that service, has recently made the difficult decision to resign from offering outreach services at Achnasheen, due to ongoing staffing issues and needing to focus on providing Post Office services at Kinlochewe.

“We are fully aware of the impact any closure can have on a community and we are working hard to reinstate services in Achnasheen Village Hall as soon as possible.”

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