Mayor of Solihull “cuts the ribbon” at Hampton-in-Arden post office shop

The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE “cut the ribbon” (15/11) at the official opening of new-look Hampton-in-Arden Post Office and shop.

New Postmistress Bonnie Moore took on the Post Office and newsagents at 8 High Street, Hampden-in-Arden in June.

Bonnie has undertaken a major refurbishment to modernise the premises, but with a big emphasis on creating a traditional country store feel for her Post Office and village shop.

Her shop is all geared up for Christmas. There is an increased retail range including a new gift section, alongside cards, stationery, newsagents, confectionery and soft drinks.

Customers are excited by the addition of an old-style pick and mix sweets with traditional weighing scales.

There is a new and more open retail layout, making it easier for customers to move around the store. The new flooring, ceiling and lighting has also been a big improvement.

Hampton-in-Arden Post Office offers everyday banking, mail including DHL collection, vehicle tax renewal, Travelmoney card, Euros on demand and other currencies for pre-order, Western Union money transfer and bill payments.

The Mayor of Solihull Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, said: “The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, said: “It’s great to have a full-time Post Office back at the heart of the Hampton-in-Arden community. I want to say a special congratulations and thank you to Postmistress Bonnie Moore for all her hard work and the many improvements she has made to modernise this store, all while maintaining a charming traditional look and feel. This investment really shows her generosity of spirit and dedication to serving her community.”

A family had run the shop for 10 years. Sadly the previous postmaster sadly passed away. The family tried their best to keep the business going for two years on a part-time basis.

Bonnie has introduced new opening hours of Monday to Friday: 9am – 5pm; Saturday: 9am – 12.30pm. These are much longer hours than have been available in recent years.

For the past 12 years Bonnie has lived near Hampton-in-Arden. Bonnie, who has two boys, Henry aged 11 and George, 8, is excited at running her first Post Office and shop. Her Mum used to work in a Norfolk Post Office, when growing up.

Postmistress, Bonnie Moore, said: “I’m loving being a Postmistress and running my own shop. People have been very welcoming and friendly. It’s a beautiful place and it’s one of those villages where you come to for the first time and people are chatty and people quickly invite you to be part of village life.

“Customers are delighted with all the improvements. They keep telling me how pleased they are. They had been worried that they might lose their Post Office and shop because of the uncertainty over the shop and the reduced hours. I’m now offering the community full-time hours.

“There are no banks here or even in neighbouring villages so it’s very handy that people can do their banking here behalf of all the major high street banks and make free cash withdrawals as we are on the doorstep, open longer hours and there’s lots of parking.“

Mat Wilkes, Post Office Business Support Manager, said: “We are delighted to have restored a full-time Post Office to this area as we know how important a Post Office is to a community. The fully refurbished store looks great. There’s a real buzz of excitement about all the improvements that Bonnie has made. The branch’s opening hours make it very convenient for customers to visit.”