?HANDS off our post office? ? that was the emphatic verdict of villagers in Princetown on Thursday who gathered to help the endangered community service, writes John Hutchins. They were there to support the regional campaign,?Heart of the Community?, organised by the local branch of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters. One disabled pensioner, Jack Moody, aged 71, who lives in Heather Terrace in Princetown, suffers from emphysema and uses a mobility buggy, was blunt about the situation. Mr Moody said: ?If I don?t have the services of Princetown Post Office I am knackered. I use it for everything. I don?t even leave the village as there?s no chance of me using the bus because of my condition. I pay my water rates, general rates, there electric card as well as so many other things. My life won?t be the same without it.? Villagers say closure of the post office would strike at the very heart of the community ? it was vital, not just as a service but also a ?hub? where people met and socialised. Retired resident Brian Mead, aged 61 from Oakery Crescent, Princetown, who has retired from the water board, said shutting the post office would particularly hit the elderly. He said: ?Princetown is losing its bank in a couple of months and now this. We want our post office. It seems everything in the village is closing down.? Heather Stanley, who was formerly the sub-post mistress at Princetown, said the present system of people having their benefits paid through a card system was vital for many who did not have, nor wanted, bank accounts. She said many people would be forced to do a return journey of 16 miles to Tavistock or 12 miles to Yelverton to use a similar service. Among those giving their support on the day were members of Moorland Women?s Institute, Alan Hosking, the county councillor for Yelverton Rural, and a woman who rode in on her horse. Mr Hosking told the Times: ?I think the campaign ?Heart of the Community? says it all. The government through its threats to the local post offices is undermining any sense of community. ?The county and district borough have put a lot of effort into Princetown to regenerate the village such as its backing for the new Arts Centre, but the threat to the post office will undermine this. We must keep this heart of the village beating.? Campaign supporters say since 1999, the Government has invested £1.4billion in post offices, including £500 million on upgrading IT systems so the Department of Works and Pensions could pay out its pensions and benefits ? but closing down post offices would mean this investment would be money down the drain. They also fear the move to phase out the Post Office Card Account. Princetown postmaster Paul Turnbull said if the service closed, it would mean the loss of five to six jobs, including the local postman. He said: ?It means such a lot to have the support of the local community and especially those who use the post office. ?I just want to thank everyone for their support here today.?
