Faith

The Bishop of Reading with Post Office staff

The Bishop of Reading visited a Berkshire church on Monday 13 July, but it was no ordinary meeting.

He was at St Stephen's in Basildon to open a brand new post office.

People are be able to buy stamps, collect their pensions, and post parcels, along with all the other regular services offered by a sub post office.

They will be served through the kitchen hatch by the postmistress of nearby Pangbourne.

Judith Pearson, one of the churchwardens of St Stephen's, said: "The sub post office in Basildon closed last year and we felt this was a real loss to the village.

"Lots of people rely on their post office for all sorts of services".

She added: "As a church we are here to serve the community, and we felt this was something we could do to help.

"The Church Centre at St Stephen's is an ideal location because it is quite new and so the necessary adaptation has been minimal.

"There is also plenty of car parking and it is fairly central in the village."

The new post office at St Stephen's in Basildon

The Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, said: "This is an imaginative scheme which I really welcome.

"Churches in other parts of the country have opened their doors to post office services, although I think this is the first such venture anywhere in the Diocese of Oxford, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. 

"The church has always been at the heart of the rural community and I wish St Stephen's every success with this project."

The post office service will be available between Mondays from 10am to 2pm and on Fridays from 9am to 12 noon.