Wendy and Peter Redman recently
announced their retirement and the closure of the shop they have run
for more than 31 years - the Post
Office Stores, more commonly known simply as "Wendy's". Post office
services will cease on Wednesday 13th June 2007, and the shop will close on
Saturday 16th June. They had hoped to sell the
business, but with the uncertainty over the Royal Mail and the Government's
plans for closing rural post offices, that had not proved
possible.
Carole Connor, who for more
than 20 years
years has braved all weathers to delivery newspapers and magazines and many
other things too, has also retired, so that service will cease as well. (A
correction to my original posting: Carole has not had to contend with the flooded Wash Road;
it was Peter that had to do that, or make the long detour when it was too
deep, to deliver to premises on the other side of the Wash.)
Is is always a sad event when a
community looses its shop and postal facilities. In our case we have been
especially lucky to have been served by people who did a
lot more than just run a shop and deliver our papers. They provided all sorts of unpaid "behind the
scenes" facilities, one of which was handling prescriptions on behalf of many
patients of Upwell Health Centre.
And here there is some good news.
Details are not yet finalised, but it seems as though prescriptions may now be dealt
with by Delph House, our local care home that most locals probably know
as Marifa Lodge. Mr Graham Rainbird, co-owner of Delph House, has responded
favourably to an approach by one of the Welney representatives of the Upwell
Patient's Participation Group, and he is actively discussing arrangements with
the Health Centre. We'll post further details soon.
