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Army veteran collect 1,000 signatures
AN ARMY veteran has collected more than 1,000 signatures in a bid to save his local post office from closing – with just two days to go before the consultation process ends.
Allan Barclay, who was medically discharged from the army after more than 25 years' service, has been gathering support from councillors and residents to save the Elwick Road post office.
Elwick Road Post Office, in Elwick Road, Raby Estate Post Office, in Chatham Road, and Hart Post Office, in Hart village, are all earmarked for closure.
The Post Office is currently undergoing a re-structuring process which will see 2,500 offices close in a bid to cut losses that topped 200m last year.
The 54-year-old, of Leyburn Street, Hartlepool, said: "I have been heading into the post office a couple of times a week over the past two months to collect as many signatures as possible.
"In the end, I managed to get 1,100, which was a lot better than I thought it would be. I wanted to target people who use the post office because it is important to show the consultation team the numbers of people that come here.
"They come from all works of life and this is certainly not one of those 800 post offices which has only 16 customers a week that Gordon Brown mentioned last week. I still can't see why they want to close this one."
"The last thing I want to see is this post office, or any other in the town, close."
The proposed closures in Hartlepool come under the Area Plan for Cleveland, South Durham and Richmond.
Pensioner Bill Sunley has also managed to collect more than 1,000 signatures by spending hours trawling round the local care and residential homes.
Allan said: "Mr Sunley gave me a lot of advice and useful tips and it worked out really well with both us of collecting more than 1,000 signatures from different people.
"I think we did really well, especially considering how short the consultation process is, it really should be far longer because six weeks simply isn't enough.
"A lot of people have turned round and said to me 'what's the point in trying to save them because they will close anyway' but I'm trying to show them that we can make a difference."
Hutton Henry Post Office, in Front Street, Hutton Henry, and two in Billingham; the Cowpen Estate, in Cowpen Lane, and Wolviston Court, in Clifton Avenue, are also on the proposed closure list.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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