A COMMUNITY-run Post Office has enjoyed a successful first year and the service offers much more than stamps.

A Community Interest Group (CIC) called Care and Repair Enterprise (C.A.R.E) was set up to ensure the Pontrilas shop and Post Office remained open.

And there is more to this social enterprise than offering a Post Office Local, they also tackle loneliness and social isolation in the village, south of Hereford.

C.A.R.E provides support services to older residents from helping with gardening and household chores to assisting with form filling and looking after pets.

The C.A.R.E team is led by Sonya and Nigel Cary and Maggie Sevenoaks.

Mrs Cary said: "As a Community Interest Company, it was vital that we continue to operate the services of the Post Office in Pontrilas; to lose the post office would have had a huge negative impact on village life.

"Both the Post Office and village store are services that are crucial pillars of the community and a rural village without a post office or shop is a very different place from one with the same facility."

Pontrilas Post Office is no longer salaried, but it will provide a remuneration package which will be used to cover the premises’ rent and utilities.

It is a social enterprise- any profits made are directly invested back into the support services in order to bring about community benefit.

They hope to open a community tea room in the former mail sorting office with planning permission currently being sought.

They also provide a ‘telephone buddy’ service, which is manned by volunteers, who make a call to isolated members of the community once a week to chat informally.

Elaine Edwards, community enterprise and finance officer at Herefordshire Council, advised, mentored and supported Mrs Cary in her endeavours to establish a social enterprise.

She said: "It has taken time and it has been far from an easy journey but with Sonya’s determination and commitment to her community, willingness to take on board advice, changes in approach and direction, I am really delighted to see her social enterprise go from strength to strength.”