Sukhdev and Jasvinder Thiarra are retiring from Wilshamstead Post Office after an impressive 35 years of running Post Offices in Bedfordshire.
The popular couple first ran Houghton Conquest Post Office with Sukhdev’s brother and sister-in-law from 1989 until they took on Wilshamstead Post Office in 2001. The family still run Houghton Conquest branch.
The Thiarra family started a tradition of a golf fundraising event for the Sue Ryder charity between the villages of Wilshamstead and Houghton Conquest. The event started small and it has continued to grow and this year alone it raised £10,500 for the Sue Ryder St Johns Hospice and had 96 participants in the fun inter-village challenge held each July.
After 23 years at the helm of Wilshamstead Post Office and convenience store, the couple have decided that it is time to retire.
Wilshamstead Postmaster, Sukhdev Thiarra, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the cards, gifts and well wishes from people who are sad that we are retiring, but we will continue to live in the village. People are pleased that Wilshamstead Post Office and store will remain open and with an experienced postmaster.
“We have loved our time at Houghton Conquest and Wilshamstead Post Offices and we raised our three children in Wilstead.
“The best thing about being a postmaster is the people that you serve and the banter. You get to know people well and they know that I’m mad on sport – all sport. I used to be a football referee and people know me from that sport and my son used to play cricket. People know that they can come in and have a chat about sport. There’s a lot of banter. I grew up in Wolverhampton, so I’m an Aston Villa fan, and of course there’s lots of Luton fans and people who support lots of different clubs.
“There are elderly people in this community who live alone, and they come in to chat to Jasvinder, myself and our staff and they might not have any conversations that day if it wasn’t for us. We like to help people.
“We have been at the heart of this community for 23 years and we like to support community events and clubs.”
Sukhdev and Jasvinder Thiarra plan to have their first holiday together in 35 years. They have been on separate holidays as they have been busy running their business. Jaswinder will have more time for swimming and fitness classes and Sukhdev will play more golf.
Post Office Area Manager, Keith Mabberley, said: “I want to sincerely thank Sukhdev and Jasvinder for their long and loyal service running Post Offices in Bedfordshire. I wish them a very well-earned retirement. The couple are very popular in Wilstead and they really care about their community and they remained fully open during Covid so that people still had access to vital Post Office services and groceries locally. Their shop really is at the hub of the village.”
The new postmaster is Mr Indran Poopalapillai who already runs Iddlesleigh Road and Goldington branches in Bedford. Existing staff are remaining at the shop at 33 Cotton End Road, Wilshamstead, MK45 3BX.