A POST Office which was forced to close after its owners retired is to reopen at a pub in Yate.

North Road Post Office shut its doors in May last year leaving residents feeling the loss of the facility and their only village shop. But after months of negotiations, The Codrington Arms has confirmed it will open a branch in a building behind the pub.

Landlady Jenna Hale said it was ‘really good news’ for the community.

“We are really pleased to be able to bring the facility back,” she said. “Speaking to people locally they do really miss it, many find it difficult to park at the Post Office in Yate and they miss having a shop.

“The application has taken around six months, we have been backwards and forwards but we are finally there and hope to open in July.”

The branch will be a Post Office Local, offering the majority of services a normal Post Office does, as well as a convenience shop selling local produce, fresh sandwiches and newspapers.

Jenna, who took over the Codrington nearly two years ago, said The Old Barn Post Office and Shop as it will be known will have a farm shop feel.

“We will try to use local growers and keep everything as local as possible,” she said.

“At the moment there is no shop here on North Road and one of the problems before was the Post Office had no parking. We have a huge car park at the pub and it will be completely accessible for the disabled and is perfect in that respect.”

Long-time postmasters John and Teresa Swindell retired after 22 years of running the North Road Post Office. The couple said they were ‘very sad’ to leave the community without a shop and Post Office and had spent three years trying to find someone to take over the business.

The new Post Office will open in the barn currently used for storage. The pub will carry out renovation works itself but is appealing for donations of paint and paving from local companies.

Added Jenna: “We have bought all the Post Office equipment from John but there is a lot of work to be done.

“We hope to get a grant from the Pub is the Hub charity which is supporting us but we welcome help from local firms.”

She thanked South Gloucestershire councillor Marian Lewis for her support in getting the branch secured.

The branch will open Monday to Friday (8am-5pm) and Saturdays (9am-12noon).