Christmas cheer in Camelsdale soared this week with the news that family business Arnolds Garage has been selected to open a brand new Post Office branch in its convenience store in the New Year.

Better still, it will be open seven days a week from 7am until 9.30pm on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 7am until 10pm on Friday and Saturday after the opening on Thursday, January 18.

The good news comes shortly after the Post Office announced both its Beacon Hill and Fernhurst branches have been saved from closure and will reopen next February, hosted by nearby businesses.

February 2018 is also when The Haslewey Centre in Wey Hill, Haslemere, will open its eagerly awaited community post office to replace the former Co-Op branch, which shut when Marks and Spencer took over the Lion Green site, in March 2016.

The new Camelsdale branch will offer customers a wide range of Post Office services, from posting letters and parcels to collecting and returning online shopping items.

Customers will also be able to take advantage of a wide range of banking services including cash withdrawals and balance enquiries for customers of all the main UK banks.

Post Office network operations manager Rebecca Morris said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for customers to pay their bills, withdraw cash from their bank accounts, and send and collect their mail at a time and place that suits them best.

“We know how important our services are to customers, and are confident that this brand new Post Office alongside the other branches in the area at Haslemere, will ensure people in the Camelsdale Road area have easy access to our services.”

Arnolds Garage proprietor Carolyn Tilson, who owns the business with her husband Peter, said: “We wanted to do this, because there are not enough post offices around and they are so desperately needed.

“We can offer such long opening hours, it will really be a boon.

“We bought the garage 11 years ago and put the shop in 10 years ago and now we are adding a post office for the community. We are a rare family garage business, our son and daughter also work here.”