Villagers can look to a new beating heart for their community with the opening of a new post office.
Gosberton Clough and Risegate residents have been left with a journey of a few miles to Gosberton or further to Spalding to use a post office since the village shop and post office counter closed earlier this summer following retirement.
But from next month they can look forward to being able to take care of their post office business a couple of afternoons a week at St Gilbert and St Hugh’s Church Hall.
One of the sessions will coincide with a social afternoon for residents at the church hall, which also recently received a Heritage Lottery grant for more than £8,000 to upgrade the toilets and include a disabled facility.
Vicar, the Rev Ian Walters, hopes the opening of the new post office and the improvements in the church hall will help to bring the community together.
He said: “When the shop and post office closed it was great loss to the village.
“A group of people asked if we would consider having the post office a couple of times a week at the village hall.
“We hope it will be a good way of providing something for the community and make it a hub of the village.”
The new service is expected to begin on September 16, and will be provided by “roving” Post Office staff who provide a similar service elsewhere in the area.
Gosberton Clough resident Michael Lee said the post office would provide a useful service to the village, particularly for less mobile residents who struggle to travel elsewhere.
Mr Walters said: “The village had quite a busy post office so hopefully this will bring back into the community what was sadly lost when it closed.”