Sarah Dyke MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, "cut the ribbon" (20/11) to mark the official opening of Baltonsborough Post Office at its new location. 

Bittuben and Nik Patel have added Baltonsborough Post Office to their store at Baltonsborough Village Stores, Church Lane, Baltonsborough, Glastonbury, BA6 8RP. They opened this brand-new store in October 2023 to restore a village shop in the village after an eight-year gap.

Baltonsborough Post Office had been in Baltonsborough Farm Shop in Martin Street, with limited retail range, until the postmaster resigned in 2018.

Nearby Butleigh Post Office closed in April, and Bittuben and Nik successfully applied to re-open Baltonsborough Post Office. It was recognised the need for a branch to serve their village and surrounding villages due to the distance to Glastonbury.

Today, after a seven-year gap, Baltonsborough Post Office re-opened to the public immediately after the official ribbon cutting ceremony.

 Sarah Dyke MP said: "It's fantastic news for the people of Baltonsborough and surrounding villages that they now have a Post Office in the village again.

"Particularly in rural areas, Post Offices are a critical local amenity which help keep residents, businesses and communities thriving. In the busy run-up to Christmas, I'm delighted that these vital services have been restored to Baltonsborough and I'll continue to campaign for Post Office counters to be reinstated across our rural villages and towns. I want sincerely to thank Bittuben and Nik Patel for re-opening the Baltonsborough branch."

The Post Office opening hours are Monday – Friday: 9am – 5.30pm; Saturday: 9am – 1pm. This provides 46 hours and 30 minutes of Post Office service a week. The shop's opening hours are Monday to Saturday: 7.30am – 7pm; Sunday: 9am – 3pm.

The Post Office is the only place in the village to get cash. Customers can also do every day personal and business banking including cash and cheque deposits, send parcels, do home shopping returns for Royal Mail, Parcelforce and Evri, pay bills and do top, plus get Euros and Dollars on demand and their Post Office Travel Money card.

 Nik Patel, who previously ran a village Post Office near Heathrow Airport, said: "Customers are excited about the Post Office opening and kept checking on its progress as they are so keen to use it.

"Public transport in this area is not great, so my existing customers are really pleased that they have a Post Office on their doorstep again. There's lots of free customer parking too, so it's easy for people from nearby villages to visit."

Yesterday, Bittuben and Nik Patel also attended a Local Retail Champions awards evening in London, organised by Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery. Allwyn had asked for customers to highlight its retailers who do good work for their community. The Patels received lots of nominations and were a regional winner and they received £5,000 towards the cost of setting up their new Post Office.

Post Office Area Change Manager, Giles Hewson, said: "We know how important a Post Office is to a community. We are delighted to have restored service to Baltonsborough at the heart of the village."

The Post Office counter is alongside the retail counter of the Premier convenience store.

Nik prides himself on his wide retail range and that customers can get between 70 – 80 per cent of their normal shop at his store without the need to leave the village. There are meats from a local butcher, fresh fruit and vegetables, bakery items, frozen goods and gluten free foods.