Latest news with #postoffice
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Brighton post office which closed in 2024 reopens at new location
An East Sussex post office which closed its doors last year following the postmaster's resignation has moved to a new location. In June 2024 Sean Sherman said he was giving up the running of the branch on Brighton's Islingword Road due to rising thefts and increasing running Sherman, who first took on the business in 2015, handed back the keys a few weeks will reopen under new management on Tuesday on the town's Down Terrace. "We never really recovered from Covid," said Mr Sherman, speaking at the time about his decision to close."Thefts have gone up and my overheads are not going to reduce." His father also having run a nearby post office in the 1980s, Mr Sherman added that roughly £100 of stock would go missing a week in 2023, increasing to between £300 and £400 each week in 2024. A Post Office spokesperson said the new branch - renamed Down Terrace Post Office - would "restore service to the community", adding that it will be open 49 hours a opening hours will be Monday to Friday from 09:00 BST to 18:00 BST, and from 09:00 BST to 13:00 BST on will be also be a shop inside, with similar products and services available as before. The number of standard post offices in the UK decreased by 931 between 2013 and the number of outreach post offices, which are part-time services at community locations or mobile vans, increased from 1,065 in 2013 to 1,923 in 2024, making a total of 858.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Campaign backed by film actor Bill Nighy saves Felpham Post Office
A village post office has been saved after a campaign backed by film star Bill Nighy. The business in Felpham, West Sussex, was at risk of closure but has now been taken into community ownership. Drama writer and former actress Lizzie Mickery, who starred in '80s TV show Tenko, runs the Friends of Felpham Community Interest Company, which has campaigned to save the post company was set up to raise money to buy the site when the current sub-postmaster announced plans to leave. More than £70,000 was raised but between £800k and £1m was needed to buy and update the post office anonymous donor has also helped by providing an interest-free loan for an unspecified while the business will stay at its present location for the moment, it will move to a former betting shop in Grassmere Parade on 6 September, when there will be an official opening at 11:00 new site will have a bigger shop, offer banking and postal services, and current staff will stay. Ms Mickery, who wrote BBC One crime drama Messiah, said it was "fantastic" the post office had been saved, as a lot of bank branches had closed and it was a hub for Felpham."If you want to know what is going on in the village you go to the post office," she said. When post offices closed, she believed, villages died."We still have a huge amount of fundraising to do," she Nighy had urged people to help, saying previously: "If it's £5 or if it's £10,000 all of it will be gratefully received." The star of Love Actually, Shaun of the Dead and Pirates of the Caribbean added: "Apart from the service, it provides somewhere where people can meet and gather, it becomes an important part of the community."Ms Mickery admitted she had been "slightly tempted" to write a drama about saving the business. "But everyone would be coming up to me and going, 'That's me isn't it? You've just been writing about me.'"And I didn't think I could face that." The Post Office said what the community had achieved was "fanstastic"."This is a real reason for the village to celebrate," said a spokesperson.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Pat Tillman's Brother Arrested for Arson After Crashing His Car Into a Post Office
The younger brother of former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman was arrested after crashing his vehicle into a post office. Richard Tillman was booked on suspicion of arson in San Jose, California, on Sunday, July 20. "Shortly after 3 a.m. the San Jose Fire and Police Departments responded to reports of a vehicle on fire in the box lobby area at the Almaden Valley Station Post Office,' the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said in a statement. 'The fire was extinguished with no injuries.' Richard, 44, remains in jail and is being held without bail. Prince Harry Makes Surprise Appearance at Tillman Honors After ESPYs Federal investigators told ABC News they are aware of and investigating spray-painted words found on the exterior of the post office building and claims that Richard live-streamed the incident. 'Investigators are investigating as an intentional act,' Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet told ABC News. 'It will, of course, be determined in a court of law whether or not it was. But it does not look like an accident so far.' A woman who lives nearby the post office said she was startled awake by 'explosions sounds.' 'I looked out the window and the post office was in flames,' Heather Roberts told ABC News. 'When we went outside, there was a man standing in the parking lot with a bunch of belongings.' A photo of Pat was visible in a box that was left near the scene. Tillman, a former star safety for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, was killed during combat while working as a U.S. Army Ranger in Afghanistan in 2004. He was 27 years old. The football player was motivated to enlist after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. 'At times like this you stop and think about just how good we have it, what kind of system we live in, and the freedoms we are allowed,' Pat said at the time, according to his foundation's website. 'A lot of my family has gone and fought in wars and I really haven't done a damn thing.' Pat enlisted alongside his older brother, Kevin, who left his role with Major League Baseball's then-Anaheim Angels to join the armed forces. To honor Pat's legacy, the ESPY Awards created the Pat Tillman Award for Service, which recognizes a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes Pat's legacy. Controversy was stirred last year when ESPN announced Prince Harry as the recipient of the award. ESPN's Chris Russo Says Police Were Called on Him at Heathrow Airport for Being a 'Loud American' 'I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,' Pat's mother, Mary, told the Daily Mail in June 2024. 'There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.' Despite the feedback, ESPN stood by their decision to give the award to Harry for cofounding the Invictus Games, an international event featuring both active and veteran service members competing in a variety of sporting events. 'While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating,' ESPN said in a statement to Us Weekly. At the 2025 ESPYs earlier this month, the Pat Tillman Award for Service was presented to Los Angeles County firefighters David Walters and Erin Regan.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Customers react to 'refreshing' change to Australia Post stores: 'Can't believe it'
Customers are welcoming a major change in select Australia Post stores nationwide, branding the new "modernised" layout as "refreshing" and much simpler to use. This week, Australians weighed in on a social media post in which a shopper shared that their local Indooroopilly post office in Brisbane had been transformed. "I simply cannot believe it," they said. "The post office is a post office again; gone are all the non-postal services, the crowded feeling, the $2 shop, and the queues." Several hundred Aussies responded, many saying they'd noticed a similar design upgrade at the post office in their area. "Same for me today. I went to the Brisbane General Post Office (GPO) and was blown away by how pleasant it was to be in there," a fellow Queenslander said. "I went into my local post office about a month ago, and they were rearranging things ... This sounds like a great step in the right direction," said another. "I noticed my local post office had removed pretty much all non-postal related goods, and it's pretty refreshing," a third agreed. Speaking to Yahoo News, an Australia Post representative confirmed the company is making some major formatting changes to a number of its stores. What's changing in Australia Post stores? The spokesperson explained Australia Post is trialling a new initiative aimed at modernising select post offices, with a focus on clearing excess stock and updating outdated layouts. The changes, which some customers have already observed and discussed online, are designed to make stores look cleaner, less cluttered, and more contemporary. "In selected Australia Post corporate post offices, we are trialling a simplified and streamlined merchandise range, meaning customers might notice a fresh new look," the spokesperson said. "As well as making core products easier to find, these updates are making our post offices easier to navigate for customers with accessibility needs." The spokesperson said the company continues "to explore ways to improve customer experience". They pointed to the recently unveiled "Australia Post Parcels" — a modern-format post office designed to make sending, collecting and returning parcels faster and more convenient. The current refresh, a separate initiative to the Post Parcels outlets, is limited to a small number of post offices that are directly owned and operated by Australia Post. These differ from the majority of the postal network, which consists of licensed post offices run by independent operators, often as local small businesses. A key goal of the redesign is to improve accessibility for people with mobility challenges. The updated layout is intended to make it easier for all customers to move around the space. Earlier this year, it was announced the country's first-ever talking post boxes had been rolled out, in a bid to bring people closer together. The three interactive mailboxes, located in Canberra, Sydney and Traralgon, in Victoria's Gippsland region, use smart sensors to grab the attention of those walking past, and encourage them to write to a loved one the old-fashioned way — by sending a postcard. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
Brother of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman reportedly drove car into San Jose post office, officials say
A man accused of deliberately driving a vehicle into a Northern California post office is reportedly the brother of former NFL player and US Army ranger Pat Tillman, the US Postal Inspection Service said. The investigation began when police and firefighters in San Jose responded to reports of a burning vehicle in the box lobby area of the Almaden Valley Station Post Office about 3 a.m. Sunday, the USPIS said in a statement emailed to CNN. The fire was extinguished and police took a man into custody, the statement said. 'The person in police custody is named Richard Tillman, who is reported to be the brother of the late NFL player and US Army soldier Patrick Tillman,' the service said. The suspect told officers at the scene he is Pat Tillman's brother and said he live-streamed the crash on a social media platform, KNTV in San Francisco reported, citing a source with knowledge of the investigation. 'Postal inspectors are investigating the incident as a potentially intentional act,' USPIS said. Richard Tillman is being held without bond and is due to appear in court Wednesday, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office booking information. Pat Tillman, who led his high school football team in San Jose to a championship before playing at Arizona State University and advancing to the NFL, was killed while serving as a US Ranger in Afghanistan in 2004. The former Arizona Cardinals player – who turned down a multimillion-dollar contract with the team to enlist with the US Army following the September 11 attacks – was shot in the head three times by US soldiers who mistook him for the enemy. In a post on X Sunday, the San Jose Fire Department said about 50 personnel attended the scene of the post office fire, with no injuries reported. Photos from the fire department show firefighters dousing the charred entrance to the building. Solve the daily Crossword
