News

U.K. postal service reaches out to rural customers

March 17, 2002

LEICESTER, England - The English countryside, while charming with its rustic beauty, also has a remoteness that can often make accessing timely news and information a challenge.

But the English government and Consignia, the company that operates the country's postal services, believe they have found a method to alleviate that sense of isolation. They have teamed to launch a pilot kiosk and telephone program, Your Guide, at 268 post offices in the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland.

Launched in Leicester, England, on Sept. 13, Your Guide is scheduled to run through March 1, 2002. No information on expansion plans was made available at the launch.

Your Guide is designed to offer postal customers access to post office and government services. The program features a touch screen with more than 9,000 pages of information, leaflets, and a phone system. The content at Your Guide includes information on jobs and training, benefits, retirement information, local information, government services and financial and legal advice.

Richard Wakeford, Countryside Agency chief executive, said in a news release that Your Guide could prove vital in maintaining the viability of local post offices.

"This will provide a real life line to rural communities, especially because of the number of rural post offices seemingly at risk of closure," Wakeford said. "Rural post offices provide far more than just postal services. They are often the last remaining outlet in a village for a range of information and advice on public services. This new role, with the sub postmaster helping local people to access information through electronic services, will really strengthen access for services for rurally isolated people."