Edgworth Post Office has won an award at the ‘We’re Stronger Together’ regional ceremony for its service during the coronavirus pandemic.

The awards, held to by the Post Office to recognise the efforts made by postmasters in East Lancashire, made it the winner of the ‘Better for Customers’ category after receiving a 92 per cent customer satisfaction rating this year.

The award was presented online to Postmaster Janet Harmer, who runs Edgworth Post Office, last night by the organisation’s chief executive.

She said: “My team and I are so grateful to receive this award. The villages of Edgworth, Turton and Chapeltown are such a tight knit community and look out for each other every day.

“This pandemic just made us all come together even more. We don’t have a bus service anymore and banks have closed all around us, but our community is even more precious than ever.”

Post offices across the east of the county have been working long hours since March to keep the service running – sometimes single-handedly - during lockdown.

Nick Read, chief executive at the Post Office, said: “I have heard many inspiring stories of postmasters going the extra mile and I have welcomed the opportunity to hear first-hand how postmasters in the North West and North Wales have fared during the pandemic including Edgworth.

“All retailers have been affected and Post Office was no exception. The next few weeks and months will be a critical period as we try and return to a sense of normality.

“Post Office branches have a vital role to play in supporting their customers and communities, as well as helping small businesses and independent retailers get back on their feet.”

Postmasters heard more about three areas of their business that could help them recover some of the lost trade as a result of the pandemic – Mails and Parcels, banking – cash withdrawals and deposits, and the return in demand for foreign exchange.

Some Post Office services have been affected by the outbreak, but its foreign exchange and its parcel services for businesses have been slowly recovering.

Customers planning trips abroad can now order over 60 currencies online for next day home delivery or collection from every branch in Lancashire.

The organisation added that an option to collect in-branch helps increase the number of people returning to high streets, which have made a rapid resurgence in recent weeks.