Couple's nest egg threatened

From the The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, first published Wednesday 12th Dec 2007.

POSTMISTRESS Olivia Tovell has seen her pension fund collapse after being told her post office in Corsham will have to shut.

Mrs Tovell, 76, and her husband Richard, 77, have run the Prospect Post Office in Lypiatt Road for 27 years and were hoping to retire next year.

She said: "This is heartbreaking and I really don't know what to do.

"This was our retirement nest egg and now, if the post office shuts, the business will probably be worth half of the value.

"The way in which Post Office has handled this is disgraceful - we were categorically told not to tell anyone when we heard we might shut in October.

"We were also told that we would face financial penalties and might lose our compensation payouts if we spoke before this week.

"It was horrible lying to my customers everyday when they asked me if I knew anything.

"We are distraught and will now have to wait until the end of January before we can do anything - we are caught in a state of limbo."

The couple were told the post office is likely to close because of the close locality of the Corsham High Street branch.

They were also told they don't sell enough of the financial products the Post Office offer, such as home and car insurance.

Mrs Tovell said: "Nearly everyone who uses this post office is elderly and cannot make it to the nearby stores.

"When I put our fears to the Post Office, I was told that the concerns of the customers were not enough to stop us from closing.

"I urge everyone to back the campaign to save the post office, although in my heart of hearts I know that I am facing a losing battle.

"What are we supposed to do now - all of our money for our future is tied up in the post office."

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