‘Exciting’ changes to Laughton post office and village shop as it welcomes new postmaster

Allison Wright, who lives in the village, has taken up the role after previous postmaster, Lord Newton, stepped down after eight years.

Mrs Wright, who has also taken over the village shop, worked there when she was a teenager.

She said: “Lord Newton has been very kind and helpful with me taking over both the shop and post office.

“The village really appreciates that Lord Newton was the postmaster as it meant that Laughton kept a post office.”

The post office and village shop has undergone some ‘exciting’ changes, a spokesman said.

There is now a deli counter and the shop now stocks gifts. A café and home-produced lunches for take away is also to open soon.

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It will be called Buckle café after the local knight Sir John Pelham who captured Jean the King of France at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.

He received the King’s belt buckle as a badge of honour. This battle was a major English victory in the Hundred Years’ War between England and France.

Lord Newton agreed to become the postmaster in 2011, when the previous postmaster resigned to safeguard a post office for the village.

Manager Steve Pulling ran the shop and post office and made it into a successful shop.

When Mr Pulling and Lord Newton decided to retire from their roles, Mrs Wright stepped forward to become leaseholder of the shop and postmaster.

As the new tenant, Mrs Wright is working in partnership with the Village Shop Association.

The shop building is still owned by the village and the association are volunteers who oversee the upkeep of the building.