Village hit by closures

Shop closures in a village near Stafford have sparked fears that the area will become a "wasteland" for local services.

Concerns follow the loss of the only newspaper delivery service in Gnosall – one of the biggest villages in the country with a population of 5,000 – with the closure of Gnosall News in the High Street.

Villagers have also been dismayed to hear that the next-door complementary therapy and gift shop, A Touch of Harmony, is to close at the end of August when owner Norma Buck takes semi-retirement for personal reasons.

Gnosall News proprietor Harold Stewart is retiring this month and the shop has been bought by the Co-operative Group, which runs a general store in the High Street, for sub-letting.

The Co-op sells newspapers and magazines at its existing store but bosses say they will not be able to offer a newspaper delivery service.

County and borough councillor Mark Winnington, who lives in Gnosall, was shocked at the news.

He said: "I am concerned that we are going to lose another service to the village in terms of paper rounds.

"It is a nice service to have and some people, such as the elderly and housebound, rely on having their newspapers delivered.

"I believe it is also important for youngsters to take on jobs such as a newspaper round in order to help get them on the road to independence.

"At the moment, we are having whammy after whammy in the area, with the impending closure of the newsagents at Great Bridgeford and Derrington, and the consequent loss of their newspaper delivery services. With losing this service in Gnosall as well, the area is becoming a wasteland for such community services."

He said the county and borough councils were working to try to help tackle the degeneration of services in rural areas such as the axeing of post offices and village shops. "Residents need such facilities, particularly older people and those who can't drive or don't have a car," said Councillor Winnington. "With rising fuel costs and the need to reduce carbon emissions, it is all the more important to make sure there are local, accessible services in rural areas."

Councillor Barry Stamp said the future of village shops was "extremely bleak" unless urgent action was taken to reverse the decline.

Derrington Village Stores, which is also a newsagents and post office, is to close next month.

It follows the closure or impending closure of post offices in Great Bridgeford, Milford, Walton in Stone and Stowe-by-Chartley, as well as Marston Road and Wolverhampton Road in Stafford.