A WEST Devon village shop that had been in existence for more than 100 years closed for the last time on Sunday. Walkhampton Stores and Post Office officially finished trading at noon. The previous day customers had presented owners Eileen and Chris Long with a picture of the shop in 1906 and flowers. Eileen and Chris have been there for seven years ? Chris said the decision to close had been ?very sad?. ?It?s become increasingly difficult to be viable, especially over the last 18 months, due to pressure of changes in the Post Office and community,? Chris said. He praised some of the community who, he said, had given ?fantastic support?, but it had not been enough to keep them viable. ?Up to 18 months ago we used to get a lot of people coming in with their pension books and although some of them have changed to the card system we don?t see some of the others at all. ?It has had an impact on the Post Office side, but a greater impact on the shop,? he said. Mary Lillicrap, who lives next door said it was ?the end of an era ? a great loss?. ?I always got the heavy things there that I didn?t want to carry back from Tavistock. It is mainly the elderly that will suffer. But it?s not just the loss of the shop, it?s the social side as well. People met up there to chat,? she said. Parish councillor Derek Lavers said the closure was very sad, and that it would also mean the loss of a meeting place. Post Office spokesman Richard Hall said they considered the Post Office closure to be temporary. ?At the moment we haven?t found anyone to take on the franchise, although we have had some tentative interest locally and will be following that up,? he said. ?We apologise to customers, but we are doing everything we can to restore post office services in the area and will be looking at a range of options,? He asked anyone interested in taking over the service to ring 0845 6016260. l Another village shop which closed recently was The Lanterna Stores in Bere Ferrers, which Margaret and Alan Willmott ran for 25 years. Although the village still has a Post Office open in the mornings, the nearest shop is now in Bere Alston.
