The local community in Dunlewey are breaking out the mulled wine after An Post confirmed the local post office is to remain open.
There have been fears that the post office in the scenic village in the shadow of Errigal was to close.
A recent public meeting heard how locals would fight tooth and nail to retain the postal services in the village.
Now, it was revealed that the company plans to roll out a dedicated An Post ‘Post Point Plus’ service in the village.
It follows a Public Consultation initiated to examine the future of postal services in Dunlewey.
Deputy Pearse Doherty praised the work of the local community throughout the consultation process and has credited their efforts for An Post’s decision to retain postal services.
He said “Today’s announcement from An Post that the company has decided to retain postal services in Dunlewey following public consultation is to be very much welcomed.
“The company has confirmed that it will now commit to the introduction of a dedicated ‘Post Point Plus’ facility which will be transferred to an existing business in the village and which allows for the continuation of the majority of services presently available to customers in the area, with the exclusion of financial services.
“I understand that customers will continue to have access to vital postal services as well as a wide range of products and services offered by An Post and its partners including parcel collection, Bill Payments, TV Licence renewal, Pre-Pay and Mobile Top-Up purchases, Stamps and other services supported by the An Post retail network.
“Also, customers shall continue to be able to collect their pension payments through this service once it is established – this is obviously terrific news to all those living in Dunlewey who are in receipt of the payment and who have ordinarily received it through the post office in the village.
“Clearly this is a fantastic result for the residents of Dunlewey who I must commend for their campaign and outstanding efforts to retain postal services in the village.”
“Last month, as part of the public consultation process into postal services in Dunlewey, I asked the company to come along to Dunlewey to meet with a local derogation and this meeting was very important as it allowed the local community to press upon An Post the importance of having a local branch in the village.
This meeting followed on from the hugely successful meeting called by Cllr John Sheamais Ó Fearraigh where local people came together to devise a joined up approach and plan for how best to respond as part of the consultation process.
Also as part of this process, some 59 individual submissions were received by the company concerning the service.
Deputy Doherty “Of course, I must pay tribute to the Post Mistress in Dunlewey who will shortly be stepping down after having given more than two decades of service to the community – today’s decision will come as a relief too for her and all those who have availed of services at the Post office down through the years.
“Today’s result is a testament to the hard work and determination displayed by the entire community and I must take this opportunity to commend local residents for this fantastic achievement which will see the village retain postal services for the future benefit of the region.”
