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A NORTH Dorset postal counter which was rehoused in the rooms of a church after the closure of the village shop is again facing the axe.

Charlton Marshall Post Office is one of 28 counters across the county earmarked for closure under a nation-wide review by Post Office Ltd.

The tiny counter was set up in the parish rooms after the efforts of volunteers and councils saved the counter in 1993.

Postmaster Jonathan Whittle said closure of the post office would further isolate the village's more vulnerable residents.

"To the elderly and infirm it will make a big difference. The post office is at the centre of things. The shop is long gone," said Mr Whittle. "It removes a valuable opportunity for people to get together and will isolate those who are less able to cope with that."

Government policy was the driving force behind the closure programme, said Mr Whittle, adding that Post Office Ltd was responding to withdrawal of funding.

Patricia Osborne said she ran the counter between 1993 and 2005 after working as a district nurse because of her belief in community life.

"The post office has become the focal point of the community. There isn't anything else, except the church and the pub. When facilities disappear it's the beginning of the breakdown of the community," she said.

The former postmistress now works for a government-funded agency to promote independent living among the elderly.

"On the one hand the government is funding projects for the elderly, and on the other they are withdrawing funds from the post office which is at the heart of the community," said Mrs Osborne. "It's what I call the left hand/right hand' syndrome. It's just crazy."

Villagers have until September 1 to make their voices heard by Post Office chiefs and remove their counter from the firing line.

Concerns should be addressed to Tim Nickolls, Network Development Manager, c/o the National Consultation Team, Freepost Consultation Team.

1:00pm Wednesday 23rd July 2008

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