A CELEBRITY postman is due to take time out of his rounds in Greendale to help a Dales post office celebrate its official opening.

Postman Pat will be on hand at the community-run Hawes Post Office on Thursday, June 26, when it will open for the first time.

The new facility at in the Upper Wensleydale Community Office will be run by 22-year-old Imogen Kirkbride, taking over from outgoing team Steve and Linda Reynolds.

Upper Dales councillor John Blackie will become the community volunteer head postmaster, with overall responsibility for the operation.

The opening is a relief for people in upper Wensleydale and upper Swaledale, who feared they would suffer as a result of a rationalisation scheme put forward by the Post Office.

Cllr Blackie said: “This will be a hugely important moment for the Upper Dales, with significance not just for us locally, but for scores of rural communities around the country whose vital infrastructure is being eroded at every turn.

“We have demonstrated that with determination and enthusiasm, it is possible to keep these wonderful communities alive and thriving.

“It takes effort and energy and commitment, but the alternative is too depressing to contemplate.”