'Thank you so much!' - The legendary Bilton Post Office raises £2,000 for victims of Ukrainian war

A Rugby Post Office known across the town for its efforts in the community has managed to raise £2,000 in cash for victims of the Ukraine war.

Bilton Post Office manager Amjad Ali has become well known in the town for his and his staff's efforts in supporting the vulnerable through the pandemic.

Ali and his team organised a food bank in the branch and made arrangements for shopping and prescriptions to be picked up and dropped off at the doors of the elderly, vulnerable and those isolating.

He also distributed 3,000 leaflets in Bilton informing people of all the help available through his branch.

All these actions led to the branch winning Best Customer Service Award - being named the best Post Office in the Midlands by judges.

And when Ali began to see the suffering of the Ukrainian people he was determined to try to help.

He said: "We're not just another Post Office, we see ourselves as part of the community and we just want to help.

"All this started during the pandemic with us doing what we could - and I knew we needed to carry that on by helping the people of Ukraine.

"I had loads of people contacting me to ask what they might be able to do - we have a big community of elderly people in Bilton and many of them do not have the internet, so they weren't sure how to help.

"The Post Office had teamed up the Disasters Emergency Committee, which is one of the main groups helping on the ground in Ukraine.

"So on Thursday last week we started a collection in the shop so people could come in and make a cash donation."

Ali said the response has been amazing.

He said: "Thank you so much to everyone who has donated generously directly through us or elsewhere.

"We have such a great community in Bilton. One morning I arrived at the shop and someone had posted an envelope through the door with 'for the people of Ukraine' written on it.

"I opened it and there was £100 in cash - and they hadn't even given their name.

"For them to be so generous, and to trust us so much - it really means so much."

Ali and his team are still accepting donations in the Bilton Post Office, located on Main Street.

You can follow Bilton Post Office on Facebook by visiting: www.facebook.com/Bilton-Post-Office-1651839018364106