Ref. 12570/2GAZETTE & HERALD: ALTHOUGH rural post offices are shutting down across the country, Kington St Michael has bucked the trend to resurrect its post office a year after it closed.

The parish council feared the village had lost an important community focal point when the post office closed 18 months ago, and vowed to reopen a new one.

It was told it needed between £25,000 and £35,000 to convert part of the village hall into a post office, but it took just six months for the village to get the money through grants, and raise £10,000 itself.

Parish council chairman Robin Duckett, said: "I'm really excited because at one stage I wasn't sure if we could do it, but once the money started piling in and we got some funding, it all started to come together."

He said the parish council pledged to resurrect the post office and issued a questionnaire to gauge public support for the idea.

The response from villagers was overwhelmingly positive.

The village fund-raised by organising whist drives, coffee mornings, a boules tournament, a progressive supper, buy a brick, a wine and cheese event and an auction of promises.

Post Office Ltd offered a grant for a new sub-postmaster, which was then accepted by Howard Green, who also runs post offices in Pewsham, Hullavington and Sherston.

He said: "Once the post office closed it ripped the heart out of the community."

Village project co-ordinator Linda Durno, said: "The project has brought the whole village together."

North Wiltshire MP James Gray, who has been campaigning for rural post offices, applauded the village's pro-active stance and said he hoped it would inspire other villages who were fighting to keep their post offices.

He said: "I take the view that the post office is a central part to any village.

"There are two or three post offices in the area looking a bit wobbly at the moment, but I hope that what villagers in Kington St Michael have done may inspire them and other villages that have lost their post office."

Mr Gray will officially open the new post office, which will include a shop and an off licence, tomorrow.

It will open its doors for business on Monday.