Postmasters recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List

Sara Barlow, postmaster for Rainhill Post Office in Merseyside, has been awarded a British Empire Medal. Barlow is chair of the Rainhill Community Support Group set up to support the people of Rainhill during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Nick Read, chief executive at the Post Office, said: “Sara is one of our great examples of postmasters who are kind and caring and really look out for their community. Her practical training for her post office staff equipped them with the skills to help vulnerable customers. As a pillar of the community, Sara was well placed to offer help to those in need during the Coronavirus pandemic and started the Rainhill Community Support Group to co-ordinate an impressive team of volunteers.”

Barlow wants to accept the British Empire Medal award on behalf of her three administrators of the Rainhill Community Support Group and the 83 volunteers that helped deliver food and prescriptions to 300 vulnerable local residents and phoned people to check on their welfare.

She said: “The Support Group started small, with me saying to customers before the first lockdown, if you need help give me a call. It quickly grew legs and more and more people needed help to get food and prescriptions and lots of volunteers quickly came forward to help. My husband Robbie deserves a medal too for all of his volunteering and putting up with me working non-stop during the pandemic.”

Luke Francis, head postmaster of Bude in Cornwall, has also been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to Bude and the local communities that he has served for 26 years.

Francis has organised many charity events over the years, starting with a dance and supper to raise money for the Air Ambulance service, and recently he started a charity after a close friend’s young wife passed away.

When Covid struck, Francis was the first person to reach out to his local area to offer a home delivery service.

Read added: “Luke is a very worthy recipient of this Queen’s Birthday Honour. He is very community-minded and caring. Luke has really helped to brighten up the lives of local people in the Bude and Kilkhampton communities where he lives and works by organising many fun community events and raising money for many good causes over the past 26 years.”

Francis said: “My dream was to become a postman ever since I was little. My idol was of course Postman Pat. This is what made me want to become a postman and then work for Post Office.

“I shall continue my work with Bude Post Office as I love my job because of the people that I serve. My job and my community involvement give me inspiration and motivation.”