PUPILS STAGE PO PROTEST
Published on 16/04/2008
PRIMARY school children got creative in their fight to save their village post office.
Pupils from Penny Bridge School staged a performance art protest to save Greenodd Post Office.
On Tuesday morning, 31 Year Three and Four pupils walked from their school to the site of the outreach service, which is supposed to replace their much-loved village post office.
The children carried handmade oversized letters and parcels as part of their protest.
Headteacher Lynn Smolinski said: “The protest went really well, we had quite a few local people out to support us.”
Mrs Smolinski fears that if the village loses the post office, other vital services could disappear too.
She said: “The shop couldn’t survive without the post office, and if that goes, what will happen to the butchers and the bakers?
“We need to promote Greenodd as a good place to live with plenty of amenities, otherwise the school itself could be under threat.
“The spot where the outreach service is supposed to be going is also totally unsuitable.
“The road there is very dangerous, we have a walking bus to school because of the dangers of the road.”
Next week, the school plans to deliver a letter of support from each of its 95 pupils to Greenodd Post Office.
Lou Reed, one of the mothers who instigated the project, added: “The post office just doesn’t understand the needs of our village and of the larger community around Greenodd and Penny Bridge.
“The proposed outreach service they’ve suggested just won’t work for us.
“First of all we need a full-time post office not just a few hours on odd days of the week, but also they just won’t be able to find a parking space outside the village hall.”
Greenodd Post Office is just one of 35 threatened post offices across Cumbria.
Others facing the axe include Backbarrow, Bardsea, Swarthmoor, Station Road in Cark, Fell Cottages in Grange and Heathwaite in Windermere.
The Save Greenodd Post Office campaign is still looking for more volunteers.
Duties include handing out leaflets and explaining the importance of the campaign to local residents. If you wish to volunteer call into Greenodd Post Office.