Page 49 - L&T Millicent Phillips

Millicent Phillips Redditch Heritage

-2008 Redditch Advertiser Archive – Tuesday 2nd September

Into battle!

Into battle!

A Wartime spirit has been called upon by the leader of the campaign to save Mount
Pleasant Post Office, following the announcement it is one of two in the town targeted
for closure.

A six-week public consultation has begun as part of a Government policy to reduce
the number of post offices across the country, with the Mount Pleasant and Woodrow
post offices on the hitlist in the Herefordshire, Worcestershire and West Midlands
areas.

George Atkinson, who is leading the campaign against the closure at Mount Pleasant,
has enlisted the help of Millicent Phillips-Shillaber, the Redditch-born singer who
made it to the London Palladium, and local entertainer Colin Wheeler, who both
helped the country through the Second World War.

“I’m calling for a wartime spirit where everybody will come together and fight,” said
Mr Atkinson.

“Some of the residents I have spoken to have been very upset about it, with a lot of
those affected being ex-veterans and war widows. Many who will lose out are the
most vulnerable in society and will face a real hardship.”

People are being asked to write and object to the proposals, and Redditch councillor
RJ Farooqui urged residents to give reasons why the post offices shouldn’t be closed.

He said:

“Mount Pleasant is close to residential homes, is a place where people can pay bills
and has good facilities for disabled people. We can’t guarantee that we can keep the
post office open, but we can give our 100 per cent and won’t go down without a
fight.”

Page: 49