Pop-up Post Office prepares to open in Eastbourne

Back in September it was revealed that Meads would lose its Post Office and Co-op in February this year.

Read the full story here.

Now a pop-up branch is preparing to open tomorrow (Tuesday, March 22) in the Pauling Room next to Jubilee Hall to the right of St John’s Church. This is due to permission from Reverend Giles Carpenter and the churchwardens.

Emily Clive, Post Office network provision lead, said, “We know how important a Post Office is to a community.

“We are delighted to be restoring a temporary Post Office whilst we continue to look for a permanent solution.

“We thank St John the Evangelist Church for providing space in the Church Hall at very short notice. We also thank the postmaster for Windmill Drive for providing this temporary service.”

Councillor Jane Lamb has worked with residents to resolve the issue.

She said, “At last, we have some really good news.

“Obviously the search continues for a more permanent solution. But, this great community effort means we have at least the weekly Post Office which will operate from 10am-12pm on Tuesdays.

“Full credit to the parish church for coming to the rescue.”

MP Caroline Ansell is also working with Post Office bosses to seek a full-time replacement outlet for the Meads community, saying that it is imperative for ‘the vitality of Meads Street businesses and the local community’.

She said, “Many thanks to Reverend Giles and the churchwardens for their permission to host this pop-up Post Office at the hall. This is great news for local residents who have made it clear they need this facility.

“I would also like to thank Jane Lamb for all the hard work she has put in on this issue on behalf of local people. She has pursued every avenue to keep services local.

“On my part, work continues with Post Office managers to find a permanent, full-time location in Meads for the Post Office.”

Dennis Scard, chairman of Meads Community Association, said, “There is no doubt that the loss of our Post Office has been a huge blow.

“We have been working with the Meads Ward Councillors and our MP Caroline Ansell to find a new permanent home for it but in the meantime, we have also been exploring the idea of a ‘pop-up Post Office as an interim solution.

“Councillor Jane Lamb made contact with Prital, a local postmistress who runs several pop-ups in the area and she has agreed to add us to her round.

“The team at St John’s church has also been very keen to facilitate this interim solution and at first, we were looking at setting something up in the Parish Hall in Meads Street but this has proved impractical.

“However, the good news is that the church itself is hosting the pop-up Post Office in the Pauling Room from 10am-12pm on Tuesdays and Prital is all set to start.”

Read more:

Eastbourne residents say the loss of Co-op and Post Office store is a ‘grave situation’

What’s going on with my postal service in Eastbourne?

Eastbourne residents say post situation is still ‘absolute mayhem’ months on