On Friday 6th September 2013 at the annual Village get-together, Staverton residents bade a sad farewell to their village post lady after 23 years of delivering their good news, bad news, bills and cards.

Whatever the weather Val Reynolds circumnavigated the village delivering the post with a cheerful smile and a friendly wave, keeping a watchful eye on things when residents were away and always making sure that parcels were delivered instead of being whisked away to a sorting office miles away.

Val had come to live with her young family in Staverton in 1973, sending her daughter Clare to the village school. Everyone knew her and she knew all the folk who lived in Staverton but sadly when the Royal Mail reorganised their delivery routes Val was redeployed to Newnham where she and her husband now live.

More than a hundred villagers were there to raise a glass, wish her well and say ‘thank you’.