Villagers in Brora looking forward to the return of their post office after a three-year wait
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After a three-year wait the village of Brora is about to get a new post office.
In addition the community lost its banking facilities with the closure of The Clydesdale Bank.
Local resident Andrew Smith decided there was a need for a post office and looked into bringing it back.
However he soon discovered that he would need a shop to house the business, as there are no longer standalone post offices, so he decided to open Kelpies Treasure, together with his wife Pat Smith and Fiona and James Cooke.
He found out last week that he was to be the new village postmaster however he does not yet know when he will be able to open it.
Mr Smith (70) said he first applied for the postmaster job in November last year and currently the nearest branch is in Golspie. He said. “The Post Office Counters Ltd installation has been delayed by Covid-19 it is still expected to go ahead and will provide a much needed Post Office and banking facilities for the local community.”
Their new South Brae shop sells arts and crafts and currently is supplied by 46 different crafters in the Highlands. He said: “We were finally able to open our doors on June 29.
“Currently we have over 40 different artists and craftspeople providing a diverse range of quality and unique handmade goods plus three dealers who provide ethically sourced and fairtrade goods from around the world with prices to suit everyone.”
He said that their wives also produced arts and craft items and added: “Pat makes cloth-bodied dolls and specializes in embroidered goods while Fiona makes exquisite jewellery and hand paints silk scarves.
“The local community was delighted when the shop opened with many saying that it was just the thing that was needed in the village. When travel again resumed, the visitors could not believe that they had just opened as the shop, they said, looked so professional they assumed it had been here for years.”
A Post Office spokesman said: “We had been progressing towards having a new Postmaster operate Brora Post Office, however on-going uncertainty regarding the Covid-19 pandemic has meant we have had to pause this process.
“We are committed to providing local residents with access to Post Office services as we know how much they value our products and banking services.”
