Village raises £57,000 for new post office and shop
Post OfficeA post office and shop in a rural village in North Yorkshire has officially opened after residents rallied to raise £57,000 to pay for a new building.
The facility in Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, had previously been based in part of a residential property.
Keen to find a permanent location, volunteers spent four years putting on fundraising events to pay for a prefabricated site within the grounds of the village hall.
On 31 October, more than 60 villagers teamed up to move everything from the old location to the new building - a feat they managed in under two hours.
Postmistress Jackie McReddie described it as a "really proud day" for the village.
"We were already a close-knit community, but it brought people from Appleton Wiske and surrounding areas even closer together," she said.
"We had a common goal as we all wanted to keep a post office and village shop.
"We had lots of fundraising events which helped us to reach our target and we had fun on the way."
Post OfficeAccording to McReddie, residents of all ages got involved with the move.
A farmer used his forklift truck to relocate the heavy refrigeration units, while others used sack barrows and wheelbarrows to move boxes.
A community celebration was then held on Friday to mark the move.
Appleton Wiske resident June Gill, 93, was given the honour of cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening.
Jonny Walker, Post Office retail change lead, said: "We know how important a post office is to a community.
"It has been wonderful to see and hear how different villages came together to fundraise, plan and physically transfer the contents to the new, wonderful village shop.
"It is such a fantastic example of what community spirit and determination can achieve."
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