Independent post office nominated for leading national award

Southwold Post Office has been shortlisted for the Independent Post Office Retailer of the Year award as part of a contest designed to celebrate and recognise the efforts of the very best post offices in the UK.

Guy Mitchell and Sarah Green have owned Spots, which sells toys cards and gifts alongside Southwold Post Office, for the past 12 years. Before taking on the business, neither had any retail or post office experience.

But having been involved in running the independent post office since 2006, and having become an important fixture on the seaside town's high street, the owners will find out later this week if they have won the coveted Independent Post Office Retailer of the Year award, which will be presented at London's Hilton Hotel at a prizegiving ceremony hosted by Post Office Limited on June 15.

The awards, now in their 12th year, celebrate the successes of top performing branches across the post office network.

Mr Mitchell said: 'We are really pleased to have been recognised as one of the best independent retailers in the country. There are over 11,500 post office branches throughout the country and the vast majority are small independent businesses like ours. To be in the top ten is a tremendous achievement for us.'

Ms Green added: 'Last July we were named as the best greetings card retailer in East Anglia. To win this following on from our success last year, would be wonderful.

'We are keeping our fingers crossed. To have been singled out for this is a reflection on the hard work of the whole team here at Spots and The Post Office.

Southwold Post Office is open seven days a week. With the closure of Lloyds bank and the loss of the Lloyds ATM it is now one of the few places in Southwold where people can take advantage of free cash withdrawal facilities.

Mr Mitchell added: 'We're really looking forward to our big night in London and are very proud to have received recognition at a national level.'