A NEW mobile post office serving many villages which have lost their traditional post office and shop is set to be launched by the team at Grayshott post office.

The van, which is being especially designed to provide a fully equipped travelling post office, should be ready to go on the road from September 23, although the Post Office is running a formal public consultation on the new service.

Grayshott sub-postmistress Michelle Reidy, her husband Noel and Jim Whittle, who recently won a national Post Office award for best branch, are gearing up for the new service which will serve eight rural communities in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire.

It will serve Headley Down, Witley and Rushmoor, as well as Bury and Fittleworth near Pulborough, Liss Forest, Nyewood, Singleton and West Dean, calling two or three times a week. There will also be access for disabled customers.

A full post office service will be provided including basic banking, pensions, car tax and foreign currency and there will also be some retail offers and customers will be able to pre-order special requests.

It will reinstate a post office service to many rural areas, some of which have not had a post office for several years, although the Bury mobile stop will replace the current service run by a temporary postmaster at Bury Village Hall.

Mrs Reidy, who was approached by the Post Office to run the service, said: “It is remarkable considering that two years ago we were going to close and now we are the top performing post office in the country.”

As well as extending opening times the shop area has been extended and recently took on Jim Whittle, who was sub-postmaster at Headley Down. Jim and Mr Reidy will be taking the mobile PO on the road.

Area network manager Sue Whittall, said: “Since the temporary closure of the Post Offices for Frittleworth, Headley Down, Liss Forest, Nyewood, Rushmoor, Singleton, West Dean and Wormley, we have continued to work to identify a solution to restore services to these local communities. The establishment of mobile services presents the best possible solution to restore Post Office services to these communities.”

The Post Office is now inviting people to give their comments on the plans in a formal consultation which runs until October 6, although the service is planned from this month.

Submissions can be made during the consultation by writing to: Freepost Your Comments to Post Office Ltd, by emailing [email protected], via the customer helpline on 03457 223344 or textphone on 03457 22 33 55. You can also share your views through an online questionnaire at www.postofficeviews.co.uk.

When entering the site you will be asked to enter the code for these services: Bury 060908, Fittleworth 072908, Headley Down 113900, Liss Forest 170937, Nyewood 236937, Rushmoor 121900, Singleton 204937, West Dean 560470, Wormley 111923.

Proposed times and locations for the mobile van are: Bury village hall car park, Thursdays 11.15am-1.15pm; Fittleworth Village Hall, Mondays and Thursdays 9am-11am; Headley Down “One Stop” car park, Tuesdays 9am-11am, Wednesdays 2pm-3pm and Thursdays 2.15pm-3.15pm; Liss Forest lay-by on Temple Road, Tuesdays 2.15pm-3.15pm, Fridays 9am-11am; Nyewood lay-by opposite green, Tuesdays 12.30pm-1.30pm; Rushmoor lay-by opposite “New House”, Sandy Lane, Tuesdays 11.15am-1.15pm; Singleton Weald and Downland Museum, Mondays 1.45pm-3.45pm; West Dean outside stores, Mondays and Fridays 11.30am-1pm; Witley Chichester Hall, Petworth Road, Wednesdays 9am-11am.

* Grayshott post office is open from 8am-6pm (Mon-Fri) and 8am-3pm on Saturdays.