RESIDENTS of a Ribble Valley village are counting their blessings after a church stepped in to save their community post office.

The race was on to find a replacement post office in West Bradford near Clitheroe after sub-postmasters Marilyn and Bill Wood retired in August.

They had run a newsagents and post office from their home at Croft Cottage for 17 years, but were forced to retire through ill-health.

Nobody stepped forward to take their place, despite the efforts of Post Office bosses, who advertised the vacancy extensively.

Now village mum-of-two Deborah Curley has stepped forward to run the post office on Monday and Thursday mornings from a vestry at the West Bradford Methodist Church.

She said she she hoped villagers would continue to use the service.

She has lived in the village for eight years and said her new post would fit around her duties as a mum and housewife.

She said: "I'm thrilled to be given this opportunity and glad for the village that it is going to retain its post office.

"Many elderly people in the village don't have transport and the post office offers them a vital service."

The minister of West Bradford Methodist Church, the Rev Chris Cheeseman, said one of the church vestries would now be used as a dedicated post office.

He said: "I spent three months earlier this year on sabbatical looking at how the Methodist Church might make the most of its buildings and returned to discover that West Bradford was looking for a post office.

"It made perfect sense to offer one of the church vestries. It can be secured perfectly and will be a dedicated post office.

"Post offices are a vital lifeline to villages and we are more than happy to help out.

Coun Gwen Pye, who represents West Bradford on the Ribble Valley Council, led the campaign to find a replacement post office for the village. She said: "I am very pleased to hear of this appointment. Elderly residents in the village are stuck without a post office and this is great news for West Bradford."

The new post office will be situated just off the entrance to the church and parking is available in the church grounds.

Ian Liley, rural transfer adviser for Post Office Ltd, said: "This will mean the reopening of a much-needed post office in this village only 50 metres away from the previous office at Croft Cottage."

Hundreds of post offices across the country have closed in recent years and official figures reveal that only 28 per cent of Ribble Valley villages have a post office.

Part-time post offices have sprung up at petrol stations and pubs throughout Lancashire, including one in the darts room at the Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton, in the battle to beat the decline.

The new West Bradford Post Office is expected to open its doors at the end of November.