A Kippen postmaster and his wife have been presented with an award after racking up 30 years serving the local community.
Postmaster John McNicoll and his wife, Isobel, have run Kippen Post Office for three decades and were this week presented with a Long Service Award in recognition for their efforts.
In June 1992 they took on the shop and Kippen Post Office and modernised and improved the premises in Main Street.
Their son, Craig, also now works with them. He normally operates the Kippen Mobile Post Office service they started in 2008. John also enjoys the opportunity to take the mobile service to other villages.
John’s sister-in-law, Marjorie More, has also worked at Kippen Post Office for 30 years.
They currently serve 14 rural communities in the Stirling area on a permanent basis. From time-to-time temporary stops are also added to the route until a permanent solution can be found as was the case with Drymen. Most of the communities are fairly close by, but the furthest is 50 miles away.
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Due to coronavirus they started a free grocery delivery service for the elderly and vulnerable in the village and some people are still using this service today.
The Kippen Post Office Mobile continued to operate as normal during the pandemic.
John said: “Our regular customers in Kippen know that we have been here for 30 years and they have helped to mark the occasion. We enjoy serving our customers in Kippen and in so many other communities. We bring our services to very remote locations where many do not have a shop. People are thrilled that we come to them. They know that we are coming to their community at a certain time and they schedule in a visit to see us.”
Post Office area manager Susan McMahon presented the McNicolls with their Post Office 30 Years’ Long Service Award and said: “John and Isobel have both been dedicated to serving the Kippen community for 30 years and during the pandemic they introduced free home shopping delivery for those shielding. They have also provided a lifeline to so many communities bringing Post Office services to them with the Kippen Mobile Post Office.”
