| County | Leicestershire, East Midlands |
|---|---|
| Postcode | CV9 3QR |
| Opened | 2003 |
| Post Office | Yes |
| Management | Volunteer |
| Premises | Church |
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Very unfortunately the Post Office has recently closed due to illness.............
It was an inspired decision by the villagers of Sheepy Magna, in south west Leicestershire, that saved two of their important villages services. The shop closed in March 2003 and the post office quickly needed to find alternative accommodation. At the same time the medieval parish church was facing huge repair bills for its 16th century bell tower. The vicar and her parishioners came up with an unusual proposal to run a post office service from the church vestry in the tower base.
The project quickly caught the public’s imagination and 12 organisations contributed towards the total cost of £45,500, including district and county councils, the local diocese and district church council, and two post office development schemes. Major changes were needed to the church, including introducing running water and sewerage, and high quality English oak was used for much of the building work. Disabled toilet facilities were put in, a community meeting area was created out of the west end of the north aisle and disabled access to the church in general was improved. The intention had been to open for business by Christmas 2003 and, in fact, the first stamp was sold on 8th December.
The post office is open two mornings a week and refreshments are served in the community area at the same time. The local borough council runs a community helpdesk each Tuesday morning and a Pensions Advisory Service officer comes once a month.
The new facilities are well used, not just for church activities, and have inspired the start-up of several new groups in the village – singing and art clubs – as well as providing the opportunity for people to drop in and chat over a coffee in beautiful surroundings.
When the shop in Sheepy Magna (south west Leicestershire) closed in March 2003, the post office needed alternative accommodation. Sheepy Church Council and the Revd Annette Reed had the idea of offering to adapt the base of the tower of the medieval village parish church, as premises for the new satellite post office. “I well remember that feeling of suddenly being caught up by an idea which excited me, but also seemed impossible to achieve,” says Annette.
Over the ensuing weeks, the seeds of inspiration took root. The project involved major changes to the church, not least introducing water and sewerage provision. Beside the post office room in the tower base, there is now also a disabled toilet facility, a new community meeting area which has been created out of the west end of the north aisle and improved and adapted access to the church for people with mobility problems. As the work progressed there was great excitement at the discovery of some 17 century graffiti on what is now the toilet wall: “a pleasure to read when one is in situ!” High quality English oak was used for much of the construction work to complement the existing architecture. The intention was to open by Christmas 2003 and this was achieved; the first stamp was purchased on 8 December.
The post office is open two mornings per week and at the same time refreshments are served in the new community area which has also opened up the church for much wider use. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council run a community helpdesk in the church on Tuesday mornings when the post office is open, making access to advice on a wide range of issues available to local people. A Pensions Advisory Service Officer comes every second Tuesday of the month, to advise on a wide range of pension issues.
The facilities are well used, not only for church activities, but also for new initiatives which have sprung up. The new singing and art groups meet there regularly, and there have been concerts hosted by the church including one given by international classical singer Emma Kirkby.
Fundraising was rather like putting a puzzle together – without knowing how many pieces would be found or quite what the end picture would look like! Even so, the project rapidly caught the imagination of all those involved. Twelve organisations contributed towards the total cost of £45,500, grant aiding between £1000 – £5000 each. Contributing bodies included: Leicestershire County Council, Leicestershire Post Office Development Scheme, the Sub-post office, Start-up Capital Subsidy Scheme, Melton, Rutland and Harborough Primary Health Trust, Leicester Diocesan Mission Initiative Fund and Sheepy District Church Council.
Annette Reed reflects on the new facilities: “We are all delighted that we were able to raise sufficient funds in order to offer the community this valuable service. So far uptake of these new facilities in church has been very encouraging and it is wonderful to have people dropping in on post office mornings and enjoying a chat together.” It was appropriate that it was Maundy Thursday when the post office was officially opened by the
village’s oldest resident, Mrs Lucy Wood. On Maundy Thursday Jesus enacted the role of the servant, washing the disciples’ feet. Where better to ponder the role of service in the community than in the local post office?
An article from Country Way magazine, by Revd Annette Reed, Team Vicar Bosworth and Sheepy Group
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