| Tollesbury Post Office
Tollesbury Post Office has changed hands in
November 2007.
Post Office 1999
(Picture (enhanced)
from "Tollesbury to the Year 2000")
"Mark
Shipton took over in 1986. He came with his wife and they have three children,
all of whom started life in Tollesbury. That was 21 years ago.
Mark saw radical changes
to the Royal Mail, which is now comprised of three independent commercial
enterprises, paying a percentage of profits, as part of the Civil Service
– Parcel Force, Royal Mail, and Post Office Counters Ltd. The services
cover a comprehensive range: payment of Pensions and Allowances; Road Tax;
licences for TV; payment of Electricity; Water and Telephone bills; Community
Charge; travel insurance; foreign currency; flowers by post; stamps for
international parcel and airmail; and inland postage, first and second
class!
Work begins in the Post
Office at 6:30am when a mail-bag of nearly 5,000 items is delivered by
van from Maldon. It is divided into four ‘rounds’ and there are five sorters,
with one relict, who further sort the items for house-to-house delivery.
Unfailing in their duty, regardless of the weather, come snow or shine,
our letters tumble through the letterbox!
Tollesbury now has the
status of ‘satellite’ having the advantage of being the only sorting office
in the District. Residents in neighbouring villages: D’Arcy, Goldhanger
and Salcott, receive their mail by van direct from Maldon. Apparently,
a few years ago, Tollesbury was threatened with the same treatment, but
somehow that was averted."
(Amended from "Tollesbury
to the Year 2000")
In the Spring of 2000 Mark took
over the running of the Newspaper and Magazine business, restoring morning
deliveries. For a short time from 2001 a Video Rental Business was also
run form another retail outlet.
Mark serves on the Parish Council.
The Village owes many thanks
to the husband and wife team who have put in long hours of work every day
(from early morning until 9 p.m.) over so many years. They have always
been pleasantly courteous and polite and friendly to all villagers and
customers.
Post Office November 2007
After some addition to the buildings
and refurbishment the new management is part of the Martins Newsagents
National Enterprise. The transfer of business ran with the smoothness the
village has come to respect.
November 2007
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