Torrington Post Office branch brought back from closure

Torrington’s Post Office has re-opened, after it closed down only last month. The old branch had been located at the back of the former Spar. But last month, staff were given just days to move out, leaving locals without a Post Office in the town.

Peter Hood, Chair of the Great Torrington and District Community Development Trust, says the closure was a huge blow to the population, many of whom are elderly. “They are not necessarily computer literate, they rely on going to the Post Office to get their pensions in cash, they rely on going to the Post Office to top up their electricity and gas cards,” he said.

But in a win for the local community, locals now have a new Post Office in the town. It opened in Torrington’s Tourist Information Centre on Thursday last week. And this morning it was full of customers.

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The new branch is staffed by Linnette Arrowsmith and Kirsty Parker, who both worked in the old branch in the former Spar. Linnette, who has worked for the Post Office in Torrington for 20 years, said: “With the crisis we’re in at the moment, it’s vital for the town. If we didn’t have a Post Office in Torrington everyone would have to go to Bideford just to post a parcel.”

Kirsty too was delighted, not just to be able to keep her job, but for the community as a whole. “I love the community and the customers are lovely,” she said. “It’s very much a people’s Post Office here, we always help where we can and we get regulars that come in. I know most people by name.”

Customer, Helen Forbes, who was using the Post Office this morning, said she believed it was “tremendously important” service for Torrington. “It’s something that’s so necessary here, people come in from surrounding villages,” she added.

Meanwhile, Keith Amps, who’d come in to post some parcels said: “I can’t imagine life without a Post Office. In today’s tough times, you’d have to pay for fuel or get a bus. It’s a lifeline, I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t have one.”

Torrington’s new Post Office branch is located in the Tourist Information Centre. It’s open from Monday to Friday and on Saturday mornings for banking, and postal services. It is not yet possible to top up gas and electricity cards in the branch, but it’s hoped this will be rectified shortly.

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