Derbyshire couple save village post office

A DERBYSHIRE couple has saved Chinley’s post office service and opened a new fine food shop in the village.

Kieran Smallbone and Laura D’Cruz opened the shop in rural High Peak last weekend, after obtaining funding from NatWest.

When the existing postmaster gave notice to retire, the village was in danger of losing its post office.

Smallbone and D’Cruz, who live in neighbouring Buxworth, stepped in to open a sub-post office as part of their new business, Chinley Cheese – a fine food and drink shop.

It will offer a range of postal and financial services to almost 3,000 villagers, as well as locally sourced and produced fine foods.

D’Cruz, 33, said: “We were looking for a small business opportunity close to home, that would allow us to enjoy time with our two-year-old son.

“We love the area and enjoy living within a thriving and neighbourly community. This new venture gives us the opportunity to maintain essential village services while also sharing a fantastic range of local food and drinks produced across the region.”

Smallbone, 37, who is training to be a sub-postmaster and will manage the business day-to-day, added that they have retained two part-time jobs which might otherwise have been lost.

Yogesh Pate,l NatWest relationship manager, said: “Kieran and Laura had a strong vision for a community-focused business and it has been very rewarding to support them. It is great to see the shop is now officially open for business and I’m looking forward to visiting.”