In small coastal village on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall we have a small post office which sells a few stationery items, cards and charity goods but is generally run down. The present owner and postmistress is past retirement age and wants to sell as soon as possible and there are no potential purchasers. The post office has survived the recent round of closures but if no-one is prepared to take on the building and run it as a post office, it will undoubtedly close and will be lost to the community. To continue its operation one would need £80 to £90k to purchase and perhaps a further £30k for renovations/ working capital. The village, typically, has more than its fair share of second homes and retired residents but were wondering whether sufficient interest and commitment exists to take forward the project as a community enterprise. We were thinking on the lines of a charitable trust with a management committee employing one or more part time workers and the community being share holders in the enterprise. There are limited commercial opportunities as we have a village shop, two gift shops and several food outlets. We have a community website at www.coverack.org.uk and you can see the post office and other shops at http://www.coverack.org.uk/pages/shops.html Could you comment on whether you think this might be a reasonable approach and whether we might be eligible for grant support? Depending on what you think, we would do some preliminary consultations as to what response we receive. The suggestion will be considered by the Parish Council on Thursday Look forward to your comments. With thanks and best wishes,

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