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Fears village is 'closing down' as services leave

BBC A woman with a dark jacket and scarf stood in the streetBBC
Villagers like Diane Jones are concerned about services leaving the centre of Evington

Residents fear their Leicestershire village is "closing down" as they face the loss of three key services.

A doctor’s surgery, pharmacy and the Post Office are all leaving the traditional heart of Evington, on the edge of Leicester.

While all are planning to relocate their services rather than shut, villagers feel the combination of all three announcements make it feel like “Evington’s closing down”.

One person said it was “distressing and depressing” to see, adding that older residents of Evington will suffer the most from the proposed changes.

St Elizabeth’s Medical Centre, which owns The Surgery in The Common, said it has applied to the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board to move services to its main site two miles away.

It said the owner of the branch’s building was looking to sell the site, prompting a proposal to move, and said: “We are confident that we can improve the quality of care we provide to all our patients.”

A man looking pensive holding books and papers under his arm, in front of a run down looking GP practice with the sign above the door missing the second R from the word SURGERY
John Alexander McFayden worries there will be a knock-on effect for other traders

J&A Pharmacy, which has been in Main Street since the 1980s, will be closed on 18 November for financial reasons, according to owners R Glenton & Son.

Customers are asked to instead use their sister Glenton Pharmacy, just over a mile away in Welland Vale Road.

And next door to J&A, the Post Office will be closing on 2 December, with a new branch opening a week later, again in Welland Vale Road, next door to the pharmacy.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “With any relocation it is inevitable that whilst some customers will have an easier journey to the new location, regrettably others will have further to travel.”

Villager John Alexander McFayden said: “Elderly people particularly who pick up their prescriptions here at the pharmacy, who get their stamps and their pensions in the Post Office and go to the GP surgery round the corner – they're going to be stuck.

“But the other thing is, the shops here that depend on footfall, that will go. If that happens and these businesses lose trade, there’s a chance we'll lose more, and that’s very sad.”

A man in an open chequered shirt standing in front of his barber shop frontage
Jack Everett said his customers have all had something to say on the changes

Barber Jack Everett added: “Empty shops are just no good for businesses.

“Speaking to customers, especially those who are older, it’s been quite a topic of conversation.”

Resident Barbara Garlick said: “It’s going to affect us a lot. It’s a long way for people in the village, and most of them are pensioners, who need the chemist and the Post Office.”

A man in a blue V neck jumper standing in front of the pharmacy and Post Office units which are closing down
The loss of services elderly people rely on is a concern, feels Steve Morris

Evington local Steve Morris said: “The Post Office has a facility to draw money and pay bills, which means there will be no other cash dispenser.

“As you lose facilities, particularly as you’re older, it’s concerning.”

Villager Morag Yates said: “They’ve been here a long time and they’re part of Evington really.”

While resident Diane Jones said: “Everything seems to be going, it’s really quite distressing and depressing.

“As you get older things being local are very useful, so I do feel that Evington’s closing down.”

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