Campaign song to save post office

A singer songwriter in a Shropshire village has put pen to paper and written a tune to aid in the campaign to keep the community post office open.

Worthen resident Harvey Andrews has written the song, which was sung by campaigners in the village in a protest today.

Post Office Ltd is planning to close the Worthen Post Office and operate a part-time mobile, part-time outreach service in its place.

This would be parked somewhere in the village for 11 hours per week.

Mike Fisher a member of the action group set up in the community, said they were very grateful for Mr Andrew’s help.

He said: “He lives in Brockton and he offered his services. He is a well-known singer and song-writer who has been going for many years, recording albums and playing gigs up and down the country. It is his own tune.”

Mr Fisher said about a dozen people gathered at the post office this morning to sing the song asking Post Office Ltd to leave the Worthen Post Office alone.

“The post office is integral to village life,” Mr Fisher added.

“It is happening up and down the country and everywhere it is the same story, the post office closes and the shop closes, it will leave us without a shop.

“It will leave 17 miles of road without a visible post office or shop because the Marton one is up for closure too.”

The Save Worthen Post Office Group claims Post Office Ltd has ignored the social impact on the residents using the post office and has made the wrong decision.

A statement from the group adds: “The financial impact on people will be that everyone will have to travel to use a post office and shop.

“The Government have said that everyone must cut their carbon footprint but the opposite will happen if they close the branch. Everyone will have to travel, and if they replace the branch with a van that will also have to travel to reach the villages.”

Harvey Andrews’ song:

CHORUS

Help to save our GPO
We don’t want to see it go
Sing it long, sing it loud
Our Post Office does us proud
How can the folk in London know
How much we need our own PO?
Are their hearts made of stone?
(SHOUT) JUST LEAVE US ALONE
And give us back our own PO

VERSE
Letters, parcels by the score
We’re all sending more and more
The next Post Office is too far
So we’ll all have to use our car
(SPOKEN) And you don’t want that
Do you, Mister Brown?

REPEAT CHORUS

Are your hearts made of stone
(SHOUT) JUST LEAVE US ALONE.