A postmaster and his wife will retire after nearly 35 years service.

Long-serving Congresbury Postmaster, Jagtar Seehra, and his wife Sukhvinder, who have run their village Post Office in The Precinct, Brinsea Road, for nearly 35 years, are retiring.

Jagtar previously worked for the Royal Mail in Central London for many years, but the commute from near Heathrow was tiring. Jagtar and Sukhvinder decided to take on a Post Office and they found one in Congresbury, not far from where Sukhvinder grew up in Bristol.

Even when they retire the couple are going to continue to live in Congresbury.

Jagtar said: “When we moved to Congresbury our son and daughter were young children. They grew up here and went to school locally before going off to university. It is a friendly and lovely village

“We took the difficult decision during the pandemic to temporarily close the branch until more was known about coronavirus.

"People in Congresbury were very understanding, and they would phone and message us to make sure that we were okay and offer to help if we needed anything. We then re-opened and gradually increased our hours to full-time again.

“We wanted to retire, but we didn’t want to leave until we had someone to take over the Post Office. We wanted to make sure the village had a Post Office. A young person with lots of energy is taking over.

"It is a wonderful village. We have really enjoyed our time running the Post Office. Customers are very welcoming and we have got to know so many people over the years; not just in Congresbury but from surrounding villages too. The village is like an extended family.”

Jagtar and Sukhvinder retire today (Wednesday) and the new postmaster is Ashish Bhoyar, who is going to undertake a refurbishment of the Post Office and shop.

Area Manager Paul Baker said: “Jagtar and Sukhvinder have been very loyal to their community and I want to thank them for their commitment and long service to the people of Congresbury.

"They were not prepared to retire until there was a new owner. I wish them a well-earned retirement.”

Congresbury Post Office will be closed for a refurbishment until March 24.

It will become a new-style local branch with Post Office services provided alongside the retail counter.