As part of National Post Office Week, chief executive Simon Hart of the Countryside Alliance addressed a rally held at Lawrenny Post Office on Friday. The rally was held to convey two messages to the current government. Firstly to highlight the fact that the government has removed hundreds of millions of pounds of business from post offices in recent years, including the TV licence contract, so it is little wonder that viability is a problem. Secondly, economic concerns are only part of the bigger picture. Post Offices provide the social heart of many rural communities and without them many thousands of people, including many elderly and disabled, would be increasingly isolated. Government must look at the overall picture before deciding the fate of many of our local, rural communities. The meeting was one of several regional gatherings which took place during National Post Office Week, which had been organised by the umbrella group 'Future For Our Post Offices', of which the Countryside Alliance is a part. Simon Hart also took part in a rally and lobby of Parliament with the Prime Minister's Rural Advocate, Dr. Stewart Burgess, the previous Tuesday. The week of action aimed to highlight the current Government consultation on the future of the Post Office network and encouraged people to take part to fight for their own local service. Lawrenny Post Office was a classic example of how a local community has gathered together under the chairmanship of Keith Williams and will re-open the village shop as a community venture. Their post office service is now confined to a couple of hours per week and with the anticipated success of the local shop, the fight for the return to normal post office services is eagerly awaited. Adrian Simpson, director for the Countryside Alliance in Wales, said: "The whole community of Lawrenny are to be congratulated for their enthusiasm, commitment and desire to retain both their village shop and Post Office."