COMMUNITY MUST RALLY TO SAVE POST OFFICES

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 19th Jul 2008

Stephen Gilbert (left) is leading the campaign to keep local Post Office open

"The battle to save our post offices has started and everyone is needed", said Stephen Gilbert, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for St Austell & Newquay.

On Tuesday the Post Office announced six branches for closure in mid-Cornwall and local Liberal Democrats immediately responded by delivering over 2,000 letters in the affected areas urging local residents to take action and write to Post Office bosses.

In the St Austell & Newquay area, Post Office branches in Tywardreath, Charlestown, St Columb Road, Golant, Stenalees, and Tregrehan Mills now all face an uncertain future.

Stephen Gilbert added: "The lesson from elsewhere in the country is that when communities rally behind the local post office they can be saved, but where apathy prevails the branch will almost certainly close. That's why we have, this week, delivered almost 2,000 letters in the affected areas asking local people to write directly to the Post Office to make their voice heard. Now is the time for action."

"Simply signing a petition is not enough. The Post Office has said they will only treat a petition as one submission, even if it has thousands of names on it. We need people to write directly to the Post Office and it needs to be done now."

"Post Offices provide a vital local service especially for elderly and vulnerable people and in some cases they are the only shop in the village - they are worth fighting for."