Helmsley: post office confirmed for the Black Swan Inn

A temporary post office has been confirmed to open in the Black Swan Hotel, off Market Place.

As reported by the Gazette & Herald, the town’s postal service first came to an end when the office’s host store Costcutter went into administration last August (2022).

A Post Office mobile van operated temporarily in the town last autumn but this later came to an end in November 2022. 

Cllr George Jabbour outside the closed Helmsley Post Office (Image: George Jabbour)

From Tuesday, August 22, the historic hotel will be the base for a temporary solution that will open between 10am and 1pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Thursdays.

After securing funding to provide the new temporary service, members of the Black Swan team and operations manager Nicola Fortune worked quickly with Post Office staff and North Yorkshire Council’s representative for Helmsley, Cllr George Jabbour, to get the service up and running.

The Black Swan Hotel (Image: Inn Collective Group)

Cllr Jabbour said the goal is still to establishment a new full-time Post Office in the town but offering a mobile counter within the Black Swan has allowed the Inn Collection Group, which operates the hotel, to play its part in restoring the “essential” services.

“Immediately after funds were secured for a temporary solution in Helmsley, members of the Post Office and the Black Swan Hotel teams worked tirelessly to make sure that this new service is available to our community as soon as possible,” he said.

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"The Post Office counter has now been delivered to its new home at the Black Swan Hotel and is already set up to ensure that the first transactions will be processed smoothly on the opening day.

"I am keeping my fingers crossed for next Tuesday, but in the meantime, I would like to say a huge thank you on behalf of our community to everyone at The Inn Collection Group and the Black Swan and at the Post Office for making this a reality."

The Black Swan Hotel was taken over by the Inn Collection Group in 2020 (Image: Inn Collective Group)

Mark Wright, general manager at the Black Swan said: “We’re delighted that we have been able to provide a home for a service so vital to so many members of our community and look forward to its first day back next week.

“We know how important the Post Office is to businesses and individuals and while the Black Swan is just a temporary host whilst a new permanent option is secured, we know what having the service back will mean in the town.

“The inn will be open as usual during the Post Office’s hours of operation so anyone coming to use its services are more than welcome to sample what we offer as an inn too.”

Ian Murphy, Post Office Network Provision Lead, said: “We are delighted to be restoring a Post Office to Helmsley as we know how important a Post Office is to a community and how sorely missed this branch has been.”

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: "Cllr Jabbour and I are very grateful to the Black Swan for the vital service they are providing to the community in ensuring Post Office services remain in the town.

"I look forward to visiting the Swan next week to see first hand how the site will function for residents. Long term, we are still seeking a permanent replacement."