Post office with links to Postman Pat saved
GoogleA post office in a town which helped inspire the Postman Pat stories has been saved from closure.
Children's author John Cunliffe drew on his time running the mobile library service in Wooler in Northumberland's Glendale valley, and based fictional Greendale on both the village and Longsleddale in Cumbria.
The post office in Wooler was put up for sale along with an upstairs flat last September due to the retirement of the postmaster.
But now the Glendale Gateway Trust has stepped in to purchase them both.
When the building was put up for sale, councillor Mark Mather, who represents Wooler on the county council, described it as "a real irony" that an area which helped create a famous postman was facing a future without a post office.
Welcoming the news it had been saved, he said: "It's really positive for the community.
"It was a huge challenge to make this happen.
"It just shows that when the community pulls together, anything is possible. This is an important local service run by local people.
"It's not just about Wooler, it's about the whole area. It is an absolutely vital service."
BBC/Woodland AnimationFunding from local residents, nearby Barnmoor Windfarm and Wooler Parish Council allowed the trust to purchase the post office, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The flat will be made available for rent at an affordable rate thanks to a separate £100,000 grant from Northumberland County Council.
Wooler is popular with tourists thanks to its proximity to Northumberland's highest mountain, The Cheviot.