THE owners of a Somerset post office have won an award for bringing the community closer together during the Covid crisis.

Julia and Aidan McDonald, who run Bruton Post Office and Church Bridge Stores, have received the High Sheriff’s Special Recognition Award for their exceptional contribution to their community.

The couple made an "outstanding contribution to the community in Somerset" as well as "acts of thoughtfulness and kindness" during the pandemic.

Mary Clare Rodwell, High Sheriff of Somerset, presented the award to Julia, Aidan and their team of Natasha Jearum, Sarah Cook, Sophie Andrews, Claire Nicholls and Katie Anderton.

Church Bridge Stores and Post Office remained open throughout the national lockdowns and restrictions and set up a delivery service with the help of Bruton community.

They contacted churches and the council to spread the word about the delivery service and within a week the number of homes on the delivery list rose from 40 to 170.

King’s School Bruton allowed Church Bridge Stores to use their minibuses and staff for the deliveries.

Julia and Aidan went on to buy a van to allow the delivery system to be operating across Bruton within two weeks.

The postmasters were supported by their suppliers, who prioritised Church Bridge Stores to ensure vulnerable customer could access essentials such as milk and eggs.

The deliveries have continued, and Aidan said even when things return to normal Church Bridge Stores will continue to deliver to the vulnerable in the community, including to Hugh Sexey’s Hospital, which offers independent supported living.

Reflecting on the past year, Julia and Aidan said the sense of community in Bruton was second to none and they had been immensely supported.

Aidan said: “The Bruton community has really looked out for us, and each other.

"A local furniture shop kindly donated visors to our staff at the beginning of the pandemic, and we have been gifted hand sanitiser and even hand cream.”

The couple also supported other community initiatives during the pandemic, including assisting with the Food Drop scheme which offered food shopping to people who had lost their jobs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Julia said these initiatives had helped to bring the community even closer together.

Julia said receiving the award was a great morale boost for the entire team.

She added: “The award was not expected at all, but it feels amazing to be recognised. It has been an incredibly busy year but, despite the workload, it has been enjoyable.”

Julia and Aidan thanked their staff, including young shelf-stackers and counter staff. They said the entire team had been invaluable as the post office was constantly busy, but the staff managed a new queue system and increased demands with ease.

As well as their team, they thanked Wincanton Postmaster Nigel for his unwavering ‘big brother like’ support.