Latest news with #GlendaleGatewayTrust
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Post office with links to Postman Pat saved
A post office in a town which helped inspire the Postman Pat stories has been saved from closure. Children's author John Cunliffe drew on his time running the mobile library service in Wooler in Northumberland's Glendale valley, and based fictional Greendale on both the village and Longsleddale in Cumbria. The post office in Wooler was put up for sale along with an upstairs flat last September due to the retirement of the postmaster. But now the Glendale Gateway Trust has stepped in to purchase them both. When the building was put up for sale, councillor Mark Mather, who represents Wooler on the county council, described it as "a real irony" that an area which helped create a famous postman was facing a future without a post office. Welcoming the news it had been saved, he said: "It's really positive for the community. "It was a huge challenge to make this happen. "It just shows that when the community pulls together, anything is possible. This is an important local service run by local people. "It's not just about Wooler, it's about the whole area. It is an absolutely vital service." Funding from local residents, nearby Barnmoor Windfarm and Wooler Parish Council allowed the trust to purchase the post office, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The flat will be made available for rent at an affordable rate thanks to a separate £100,000 grant from Northumberland County Council. Wooler is popular with tourists thanks to its proximity to Northumberland's highest mountain, The Cheviot. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Post office with links to Postman Pat may close Northumberland County Council
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Wooler post office with links to Postman Pat saved from closure
A post office in a town which helped inspire the Postman Pat stories has been saved from author John Cunliffe drew on his time running the mobile library service in Wooler in Northumberland's Glendale valley, and based fictional Greendale on both the village and Longsleddale in post office in Wooler was put up for sale along with an upstairs flat last September due to the retirement of the now the Glendale Gateway Trust has stepped in to purchase them both. When the building was put up for sale, councillor Mark Mather, who represents Wooler on the county council, described it as "a real irony" that an area which helped create a famous postman was facing a future without a post the news it had been saved, he said: "It's really positive for the community."It was a huge challenge to make this happen."It just shows that when the community pulls together, anything is possible. This is an important local service run by local people."It's not just about Wooler, it's about the whole area. It is an absolutely vital service." Funding from local residents, nearby Barnmoor Windfarm and Wooler Parish Council allowed the trust to purchase the post office, the Local Democracy Reporting Service flat will be made available for rent at an affordable rate thanks to a separate £100,000 grant from Northumberland County is popular with tourists thanks to its proximity to Northumberland's highest mountain, The Cheviot. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
12-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wooler Post office that inspired Postman Pat could be saved
A post office that was part of the inspiration for the Postman Pat stories could be saved from closure after a community organisation raised enough money to buy the village where Pat delivers his mail, is based on Longsleddale in Cumbria but author John Cunliffe ran the Wooler mobile library service in Northumberland and said it also inspired the tales. The retirement of the current postmaster, who owns the building, prompted concerns the town would lose the post office. However, the Glendale Gateway Trust, which said the facility was "vital" to the town, said it had had an offer accepted for the building raising hopes it will stay open. The Northumberland market town is in the valley of Glendale and has been linked to the Greendale in the fictional postman an interview before he died, the author said Greendale was both Cumbria and executive of the Glendale Community Trust Karen Froggatt said the money for the post office had come from "lots of different organisations"."People from the community have also donated because it is just so vital to the town," she said. "It is crucial for local businesses, but it's also a place where if someone doesn't turn up for a few days, that sets off alarm bells." The building also has a two-bedroom flat which will be let to a local family. "It needs refurbishment but once that's done we can offer it to someone on our waiting list because there is a desperate shortage of affordable housing," Ms Froggatt said. "It's in the hands of solicitors, but all being well we're looking at mid-March for the new postmaster to take over and the flat should be available later in the year," she added. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
