STAFF and owners at Sherston Post Office are celebrating after being recognised as one of the best in the country, at the industry awards.

The ceremony, which celebrates the hard work, community spirit and levels of customer service in branches throughout the UK, was held in London earlier this month with Sherston Post Office reaching the final of the best independent retailer.

Despite not taking first prize, as one of six finalists they were recognised as one of the ‘Top Performers’.

Sub-postmaster Paul Mather and his wife Gail have been running the Post Office and stores in the village since November 2004.

Paul said: “We are really proud for the staff, customers and village of Sherston.

“It is a great achievement to be one of the finalists of a Post Office network of 11,500 offices and it reflects all the hard work the team put into to give the best possible service.

“We’ve gone from strength to strength since moving to the Old School five years ago and Sherston is a great place to live.”

Kevin Gilliand, Post Office’s chief executive of retail, said: “We are transforming our network and making our services better for customers.

"Thousands of branches are now open from early in the morning to late evening and I know this has been well received at Sherston where it is open from 7am to 7pm.

“People working in our branches like Sherston are key to ensuring that our branches thrive at the heart of the community, not just for today’s customers but for future generations too”.