A RALLYING call has been issued for someone to take over a Suffolk village post office as a 40-year era comes to an end.Margaret Peck is retiring from Kenton Post Office at the end of this month, leaving the community without a vital service.

A RALLYING call has been issued for someone to take over a Suffolk village post office as a 40-year era comes to an end.

Margaret Peck is retiring from Kenton Post Office at the end of this month, leaving the community without a vital service.

Cllr Paul Debenham, whose ward covers Kenton, said: "I will be sorry when it does close because it will mean the end of another village service and I will be sorry to see Mrs Peck go.

"We've still got a post office in Bedlingfield, which is not far away, but this is another nail in the coffin of villages."

Royal Mail is searching for another subpostmistress to take over but is also looking for new premises.

The current post office is attached to the house of Mrs Peck and will be now be converted back into living quarters.

Lydia King, of Royal Mail, said: "We share the disappointment of our loyal customers in Kenton at this turn of events and can assure them we're doing everything we can to restore convenient local access to our services as soon as possible.

"We're working hard to achieve this aim but we have to be realistic. We can only realise our ambition if someone from within the community is willing to come forward and take up the role."

Mrs Peck, 62, will relinquish her role exactly 40 years after taking it up and says her departure is tinged with sadness.

"I shall miss it but I feel that I've done enough and there's other things I want to do, she said.

"It's been a lot of years and I think the regular customers will miss it but I think they understand."

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