VILLAGERS in Shrewton face a fortnight without postal services from Wednesday, October 27, as long-laid plans are realised for their sub-post office - and postmistress - to move into the village stores.

In a local game of musical chairs, Londis store owner Kingsley Clifford will become the village postmaster and the former post office will be taken over as a doctor's surgery.

Cleo and Denis Hourihan will put up the shutters next Wednesday lunchtime, after six years at the High Street post office, and will move into their retirement bungalow in Shrewton.

The two-week gap is necessary so that alterations can take place in Londis to build and equip the post office area.

But Cleo's friendly face will still be behind the counter when the office reopens within Londis on November 15.

The Cross Plains surgery's move means spacious new premises for GPs Bill and Celia Grummitt, who have practised from the 'temporary' building behind the Royal British Legion for 14 years.

Cleo and husband Denis (who has found a part-time job outside the village) put their premises on the market in spring last year, hoping to sell it as a home after being granted a change of use for the post office premises.

But retirement is not yet an option for the pair, who arrived here from South Africa and have become a respected and integral part of the village scene.

Right from the start they expressed their determination that Shrewton should not be left without a post office, declaring that they would work on until a solution was found.

Cleo said: "I shall continue working in Londis until they all know the ropes and no longer need me."

And store-owner Kingsley Clifford spoke of the benefits to customers and post office alike. He said: "The post office will benefit because the footfall of customers coming through the store will be greater.

"This is a service we certainly did not want to disappear."

It is hoped the new Cross Plains Surgery will open by Christmas, Dr Celia Grummitt said.

"It will be wonderful to have proper consulting rooms and even central heating!" she added.

"Patients will certainly benefit from having proper premises to come to, instead of the sort of add-on things we have now.

"It will be a statement of stability."

She said she and her husband had consulted Dr Miles Thomas, whose Till Valley Surgery is almost opposite where the new surgery will be, on merging but it had been decided to keep the two practices.