Wick's new post office open for business after 'tremendous' response from public
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Local businessman Kevin Milkins says there has been a "tremendous" response from the public since he decided to launch a new post office venture in Wick.
He opened for business yesterday at 125-127 High Street, giving the town a shop-based post office service for the first time since the end of October. A mobile post office filled the gap by visiting the riverside four times a week from early November until Wednesday of this week.
Mr Milkins and his wife Dawn run Birons Ironmongers in Bridge Street. Their standalone post office will operate initially for three months and will be managed by Sarah Bartholomew.
It has a single counter, although a second could be added if there is enough demand, and the building has a waiting room for customers taking social distancing into account. The opening hours are Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm.
“It’s certainly better than perishing out in the streets, and we think we can get about 15 people in the building safely, which is a big plus," Mr Milkins said.
"The response we’ve had has been tremendous. We’re trying to do all we can.
“We’ve had to explain to people we’re operating within our limits, so the place is a bit scruffy. But it’s serviceable, it’ll be reasonably warm, we’ve got heaters in the building, folk can get in out of the weather, and the car park is right next door to us.
“All I can do is offer a service – it’s up to people whether they accept what we’ve got. We’re hoping the five days a week will spread out the amount of footfall.
“Hopefully we’ll satisfy the need, and if the footfall is there we’ll open a second counter.
“We have other business plans to develop the building but we want to get the post office running first.”
The building at the shore end of High Street was previously used as social work offices but had been unoccupied for several years.
There are toilets, although they will not be accessible for the time being due to Covid restrictions.
Mr Milkins added: "We’ve had no help financially from any department, Post Office Ltd or anywhere, to try and get this building ready. It needs work doing on it – it has been empty for five years.
“Before we can start we’ve got to do online training. Sarah has completed her course, and my wife and I have got to do it as well. Although we won’t actually be working in the post office much, we’ve got to know how to do it.”
Glyn Jackson, who has been providing the mobile service from Tuesdays to Fridays, will now be able to restore normal service to the rural areas he covers in the east of Caithness – from Mey in the north down to Berriedale, and inland to Westerdale.
He also been covering Brora on a temporary basis for three years, although a new post office will open there later this month.
Speaking on his final day in Wick, Mr Jackson said: “Christmas was just so busy – and then, with Covid as well, people were not able to deliver presents that they would normally have done themselves. That put a bit of added pressure on Royal Mail, and we’re obviously the front line for Royal Mail."
Underlining how busy the mobile service had been, especially in the run-up to Christmas, Mr Jackson said: “One day I poured myself a cup of coffee at a quarter to nine and I got it at ten past three. That wasn’t unusual at the end of November and beginning of December.
“There were a couple of shifts like that, a constant chain of people. And you don’t like to say to people, ‘Could you just wait in the cold and the rain while I have a cuppa?’”
Asked whether he had encountered any negativity from customers about the loss of a fixed-base post office in the town, he said: “I did – but only as a sounding board, really. None of it was particularly directed at me or indeed my wife Joy, who would cover on a Tuesday – which unfortunately was probably the hardest shift.
"It’s actually easier to do six hours spaced out than one hour concentrated, and being the first time of the week everybody wanted that first slot. So it was particularly busy then.”
But he added: “The locals were brilliant. They were outside watching the view and just catching up, which perhaps is more like how it used to be in a post office.”
David Duff, Post Office Ltd network provision lead, said: “We are delighted to have improved the opening hours of post office services in Wick, while we continue to look for a permanent solution, as we know how important a post office is to a community.
“We also want to thank Glyn Jackson for adding Wick to his mobile service that already provides service to many rural communities. Glyn adapted his routes to provide as much time serving the Wick community as possible.”
Mr Milkins said this afternoon: "We have had a very good first day with the service supplied being very well received."
