A seaside pub has come to the rescue of its local community by turning into a pop-up Post Office.
The local post office in Gourdon shut suddenly almost a year ago, with plans approved to turn the building – which also housed the village’s only shop – into a takeaway.
But Jonney Gardner, of the Harbour Bar, has stepped in to offer his premises as a once-a-week pop-up.
Former soldier Mr Gardner says it has proved an instant success.
‘We try to be active participants of the community’
Mr Gardner and partner Malin Tangnaes took over the pub five years ago.
He spent almost 15 years in the Queen’s Royal Hussars, before leaving the Army in Germany in 2004.
Despite having no connections to the north-east coast or Scotland, the couple ended up in Gourdon.
“I had my list of everything I wanted in a pub and the Harbour Bar ticked all the boxes,” said Mr Gardner.
“We love it here.
“We’ve tried to be active participants in the community, and the community have been very accepting of us.”
‘Thinking out of the box’
Mr Gardner said it was an easy decision to try to help keep a Post Office in the village.
“Both the MSP and councillor approached us independently to see if we could do something,” he said.
They spoke to Hugh and Jane McNicol, who operate the branch in Inverbervie.
The McNicols now come to the Harbour Bar every Friday from 9.30am to 11.30am to deliver Post Office services.
Mr Gardner, 48, said: “Many rural pubs are having to think out of the box.
“When we lost the village shop we realised the community would be lacking something.
“We came to an agreement and so far it has worked really well.
“In fact we ended up with five or six customers sitting around having a coffee and a chat.
“Staff come in early to open up the pub, and even though we can’t serve Post Office customers a drink first thing it’s turned into a nice coffee morning vibe.
“The generation who make most use of the Post Office would have been worried what they were going to do if they didn’t drive, so we’re happy to be able to do this.
“And many of the older residents aren’t big on social media so hopefully word will get out about it.
“We’re enjoying it as well, it’s nice to see it being a bit of a social event for some.
“We all need to do little things that will help each other.”
MP’s welcome
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie said: “It was a hammer blow to the community when the previous facility at the village shop closed.
“The Harbour Bar is already a much-loved village asset and bringing the Post Office into the pub is another way to ensure it remains relevant and accessible to the whole community.
“This is a fantastic example of residents working together to save a crucial service for future generations.”
Hundreds of local Post Office branches across the UK have shut in recent years.
They were closing at the rate of two a week.
It comes on top of bank closures which have left some towns without a high street branch.
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