Village post office to close after 52 years

THE Remmer family will have to close Forthampton Post Office after more than half a century.

The news has been greeted with sadness by Fred Remmer and his sons, Richard and Peter.

Fred and Richard still live at the site, which has been a shop and post office since 1957.

And the family's connection with the post office and the village, near Tewkesbury, goes back further than that.

Fred's late wife Peggy, who died four years ago, first starting running it at another site in Forthampton in 1951. Six years later, it was moved to its current spot and the Remmer family made it their home in 1962.

They were told by Post Office officials 18 months ago that the closure had to happen, as part of nationwide cost-cutting measures and the news was made public a year ago.

But it is only now that a closure date has finally been fixed, August 18.

From then, a Post Office van will call in Forthampton on Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 10.45am and 12.15pm.

Fred said: "It's a wrench after all these years. We've been running it for so long.

"Peggy did it for many years and when she unfortunately died, they asked me if I would continue.

"Now that we have a closure date I'm sorry but it hasn't come as too big a shock because we're geared up for it."

The 84-year-old said the post office had gained some customers following the closure of small branches such as Mitton in Tewkesbury.

He said: "We do get people from Tewkesbury because they don't want to queue up in the town centre's post office.

"They're going to miss us and so will our regular customers, though there are not that many. People have moved or passed away."

Richard plans to keep the shop going on an informal basis.

In a letter to the family, Post Office Ltd said: "I understand that his been a very difficult time for you and we would like to thank you for your commitment to maintaining service to your customers over the last few months."