Fraser Lindsay resigns from postmaster role at Dersingham Post Office following almost two-year-long battle to stay open after sorting office moved

A village postmaster will be stepping down from the role after 24 years following Royal Mail’s decision to move a sorting office.

Fraser Lindsay has run the Dersingham Post Office with his wife Maria since 2001 after it was started by his parents in 1979, but now their time at the helm is coming to an end.

A spokesperson from the Post Office told the Lynn News that Mr Lindsay submitted his resignation and his last day there will be on March 24.

However, the move did not come without a battle as the postmaster had been fighting to keep the branch afloat since 2023 when Royal Mail – a separate organisation to the Post Office – handed him a six-month notice to say they would be withdrawing mail workers from the shop and relocating them to Lynn and Hunstanton.

As a result, he lost nearly half his income on the spot.

During the struggle to stay open, Mr Lindsay asked for the help of North West Norfolk MP James Wild, who later urged the Royal Mail’s chief executive to reconsider the plans.

A petition was also launched in June 2023 and gained more than 1,000 signatures – however, the relocation still went ahead in August of that year.

In a statement posted to his social media, Mr Wild said: “It is very disappointing that the relocation of Royal Mail’s sorting office has ultimately led to Fraser making the decision to resign as Dersingham’s postmaster with his last day on 24 March.

“He and Maria have provided a much-valued community service for many years as was shown by thousands of people signing a petition last year against closure.

“At the time, I asked Royal Mail to reconsider their decision but unfortunately they declined.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “In August 2023, we relocated to a larger, dedicated delivery office in King’s Lynn.

“This purpose-built delivery office provided better facilities for our posties and helped us provide a much better service locally.

“Deliveries to the area have since continued as normal.”

The Post Office has since confirmed that the village branch will remain in situ and is advertising the vacancy on its website here.

“We thank the postmaster for his long and loyal service to this community for 24 years,” a spokesperson said.

The role is open to existing retailers or new businesses.