Following the closure of the village Post Office in Paulton, Terry and Caroline Wynne MBE, known alongside the League of Friends for raising thousands of pounds for Paulton Hospital, have made a plea to locals to keep supporting the charity shop; and as a consequence, the local community hospital, which has benefitted from another £10,000 worth of equipment – thanks to purchases made in the High Street.

Speaking to The Journal this week, the couple said: “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the people who have supported the Paulton Hospital League of Friends charity shop.

“The proceeds have been put to good use once again, providing more than £10,000 for important items – an ECG machine, air mattresses, infusion pumps and a jaundice monitoring machine for the maternity ward.

“Donations and sales at the charity shop have slowed down in the last few weeks, not helped by the closure of the village Post Office. It is hard to express the importance of having a Post Office within a community village like Paulton.

“Let’s hope that with the help of the local community, someone will come forward and provide this service.

“We have a really special community hospital and with your support, we can continue to keep it that way.”

The Wynnes and the League of Friends have dedicated many years to voluntarily helping the local hospital, celebrating over half a million pounds raised last February. The couple were both awarded MBEs in 2011 for their charitable work. They began the charity shop after retiring in 1998, moving to larger premises in 2013.

The League of Friends have always had to keep a watchful eye on Paulton Hospital, fighting to protect it particularly its maternity services and championing the need for new equipment that benefits local residents; meaning that many do not have to travel to Bath or Bristol.

Speaking about the attempts to reinstate the Post Office in Paulton, Ward Councillor, Liz Hardman told The Journal: “We were promised there would be a presence in the village by Royal Mail, but nothing has yet materialised.

“We were then told there would be a van, but again, this was going to be problematic and the idea was scrapped. There were three businesses within Paulton that were being looked at to host post office services, but one has been ruled out and we think the other two are still in talks to see which would be most suitable.”