Scottish post offices can take a pew as church leaders unveil proposal

A REVOLUTIONARY plan to save Scotland’s threatened post offices will be unveiled by church leaders today.

In a ground breaking decision the Church of Scotland is inviting congregations to use church halls and other buildings as new homes for hundreds of small post offices facing closure.

The “pension and a prayer” plan, which is expected to be given approval, will be considered by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland when they meet in Edinburgh next month.

Under the scheme if a post office is being closed, local churches and church halls will be offered to post masters and post mistresses as new premises to allow them to continue business for the local community.

Over the last year there has been increasing concern in the Church of Scotland about the pressures on rural communities and those whose livelihood depends on the fragile rural economy.

When they discovered post offices are already being run from pubs, coffee shops and even a garden shed, the Church and Nation Committee drew up their plan to ask congregations to make church premises available.

The new scheme will be revealed in a report by the Kirk’s powerful Church and Nation Committee today.

Yesterday the Rev Alan McDonald, convener of the committee, said: “There are 1,933 post offices in Scotland and 1,878 of those are small sub post offices, many under threat.

“The impact on local communities is dramatic.

“Sadly the most affected by these closures in both rural and urban deprived areas are the elderly, the poorest and the least mobile.

There are 1,200 Church of Scotland charges across Scotland so you don’t have to be a mathematical genius to calculate how many of them could be used.

“So far when I have talked to other ministers about the scheme their reaction has been very good.

“It brings a smile to their face because it’s a good news story. We have no objection when the post offices operate as long as they are providing a service for the community – and that includes a Sunday before or after the service”.

In Orkney the first Kirk post office is already up and running at Birsay, Harray and Sandwick Church after the local sub office closed.

The new post office was given the green light by the congregation and minister the Rev Andrea Price. She said: “This is something we felt we had to do for the local community.

“It has been a great success and is very popular with everyone particularly the older members of the community.”

Rev McDonald added: “We commend the example shown by the congregation in Orkney for providing a new home for their post office.

“They have made a practical commitment to their community