Orkney's ex-Crown post office, operated by UOE, closes without notice.

Orkney's main post office shuts 'without warning'

The BBC reports that the main post office in Kirkwall, formerly the Crown Office but now operated by UOE, has closed unexpectedly due to staff shortages.

Kirkwall main post office, Orkney, from Google maps, 2014.

London-based Universal Office Equipment (UOE) took over the running of the former Crown Post Office as a franchise last autumn.

The handwritten note posted in the window said: "We are very sorry. UOE and Post Office have made the decision to close this branch until further notice.

"If you have a parcel, currency etc to collect, please contact Post Office directly."

The Post Office said the branch was closed due to staffing issues.

A PO spokesperson apologised for any inconvenience caused and directed customers to alternative branches at Papdale Stores or in Balfour village, despite that being a ferry ride away in Shapinsay.

They added that any parcels inside the branch would be collected by the relevant courier companies.

Betty Muir, who runs the nearest alternative branch in the town's Papdale Stores (8 Hermaness, Kirkwall KW15 1XA), said no prior warning was given and her staff had no time to prepare for the extra customers.

She told BBC Radio Scotland's Around Orkney programme: "The first we knew about it was yesterday morning. We were extremely busy and the girls wondered what on earth was going on because it felt like Christmas.

"You would have thought at least they would have given us some prior warning of what was going to be happening so we could have prepared ourselves for the influx of people."

Mark Kirkbride, who runs Finstown Post Office (Post Office, Finstown KW17 2EL), said the Junction Road branch provided driving licence, foreign currency and passport services.

"It is absolutely key to the whole post office system," he said.

The Post Office spokesperson said: "Kirkwall Post Office [15 Junction Rd, Kirkwall KW15 1DD] has experienced staffing difficulties over a long period of time and now, regrettably, the branch has had to temporarily close.

"We want to thank our partner UOE for helping us to operate this branch on a temporary basis to provide continuity of service to the residents, businesses and tourists in Orkney since last November."

They added: "In the longer term, there are plans to modernise the branch at a new location, and we expect to be able to share further details later this year."

 

Update 25 September - thanks to Trevor I can provide a short recap on the recent history of the main Kirkwall post office. 

13 August 2025 - I’m writing to let you know that we are changing the way we operate Kirkwall Post Office. The branch will soon be operated by an independent franchise retail partner, Universal Office Equipment (UK) Ltd (UOE), and in the short term will remain at their current premises, offering the same wide range of services, and extended opening on Tuesday mornings. 

We anticipate this change will happen by November 2025. Over the following months, we will review the right long-term arrangements and premises for Kirkwall Post Office branch. This may either be the existing buildings or a new site very nearby, either with UOE or a different long-term franchise partner. Any proposed move to a new location is unlikely to be before spring 2026 and would be subject to local public consultation in line with our Principles of Community Engagement. 

19 September - We are writing further to our previous communication advising changes to the way we operate Kirkwall Post Office and to enable this transition we can now confirm the branch will close on Thursday, 13 November 2025 at 15:00 and will reopen on Friday, 14 November 2025 at 13:00.

10 November - Further to our previous communication the dates for the transition of this branch has changed, the branch will still close on Thursday 13 November 2025 at 15:00 but will now reopen on Saturday 15 November 2025 at 09:00. 

14 November - Further to our previous communication, this branch closed on Thursday 13 November 2025 and was due reopen on Saturday 15 November 2025, however due to unforeseen circumstances there is a further delay in the reopening of the branch, we are working hard to restore services as soon as possible and will share further updates once the reopening date have been finalised.

19 November - Due to unforeseen operational reasons this branch currently has reduced opening hours. Our retail partner, Universal Office Equipment, is working hard to restore full opening hours as soon as possible.
The new opening hours: - Monday – Friday 10:00 -15:00, Saturday & Sunday - Closed.

24 November -  

The alternative branch identified is the one at Papdale Stores 8 Hermaness, Kirkwall KW15 1XA.

It seems a pity that Post Office Ltd could not retain control of such a remote branch: that would at least have given them the opportunity to temporarily parachute someone in from a bigger branch, say in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

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The final issues of 2026 have been announced so it's time to think about next year.

Royal Mail have now announced the subjects (and told we dealers much of the detail) of the remaining issues this year, and the opening thread in January has now been updated to reflect this. 

A brief look at Jersey Post

We spent the last two weeks on the Channel Island of Jersey and whilst postal matters weren't uppermost in my mind, I did take a few snaps and couldn't help but notice that most of the PO branches I saw were in other retail premises, much like in the UK.

Jersey is an autonomous and self-governing British Crown Dependency.  At 45 square miles Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands. As of 2024, the island had a population of 104,540, with nearly half a million (business and tourist) visitors over the year. 

According to Jersey Post there are twelve post offices on the island - including four in St Helier - and I know for a fact that the one in Gorey village (within Morrisons Daily) is closed.

From Jersey Post website Sept 2026; whoever created this Google map put far more information on it, including postboxes and boxes with late collections, but at this level of zoom it doesn't show the post office branches!  The website has a list which, like PO UK, zooms to the location when selected.

The Broad Street branch was opened as the General Post Office in 1909.

The Post Office in Broad Street, St Helier, which is a pedestrianised street.

The branch has six self-service kiosks (two of which were down for maintenance). I was told at the counter that none of these dispensed Post and Go stamps, despite Jersey Post (JP) continuing to issue them.  (Images now added - sorry for their omission.)

Self-service kiosks at Jersey Post branch at Broad Street St Helier September 2026 (one out of order)

Self-service kiosks at Jersey Post branch at Broad Street St Helier September 2026 (one out of order)

 

Jersey Post size-guide found adjacent to the Self-Service kiosks.

 

Union flag stamp issued from Broad Street Post & Go machine 2014

Jersey flag stamp issued at a UK Exhibition site in 2014

The JP philatelic website does indicate that the ones they sell will not have the Broad Streeet inscription.  I've emailed JP to ask where P&G stamps are actually sold.  

UPDATE 17 September.

I'm advised by a reader that the six kiosks now pictured above (I intended to include them originally) do not dispense P&G stamps but that JE02 is nearby within the quite large shop area!  Unhelpfully the  person who served me did not mention that, only that the machines I had passed did not sell stamps. 

And in reply to a comment about usage of these stamps, I can show two that I used to send a postcard back home.  The local rate is 81p, and the UK rate £1.40, so I overpaid at current rates- although these stamps were much cheaper when I bought them back in 2015 from a Jersey machine, probably at Stampex. 

Two local rate 2015 Jersey wildlife Post and Go stamps used in September 2026 to the UK.

 

For at least 10 years JP has  been replacing its diesel vehicles with electric versions such as the one shown here in St Helier, and has recently taken on a fleet of mini-vans, but I didn't notice any of those.

Jersey Post Electric van pictured at St Helier 2026 (it's not parked on the pavement, it's in a loading bay).

Jersey boasts the most southerly Post Office in the British Isles, which happened to be the closest to where we were staying. It's located in the M&S Food Store at St Clement and is only open 10-2 (while the shop is open from 8am-8pm).  Consequently I never used it, although I did take these photos of the postbox and plaque.

Most Southerly PO in British Isles St Clement Jersey September 2026.

Finally, for now anyway, a few postboxes.  Most of the active ones have the cypher and crown highlighted in gold paint, which is a nice touch.   

Collections at main boxes are at 6am for same day delivery, 10 am "For today's UK despatch or next working day local delivery", and 4pm "For today's UK despatch".  A Saturday collection is at 11 am from which UK mail is not despatched until Monday.  

1.  Outside Jersey Zoo.  

2. Disused box at La Corbière.  With it's curled lip someone on #PostboxSaturday (X) likened this to Elvis Presley (Return to Sender?)

 

3. The only postbox topper I saw.  This is outside the branch officially known as Les Quennevais Post Office (St Brelade), although for public transport purposes the area is known as Red Houses. The branch is in the Co-op Locale (address La Route des Quennevais, Jersey JE3 8LL.)

Postbox topper at Les Quennevais Post Office (St Brelade) September 2026.

Jersey Telecom maintains a large number of public telephone boxes which still have working payphones in them, unlike the UK.  This is at Green Island Beach, St Clement.  

Jersey Telecom, owned by taxpayers, now runs telecoms services in every school, hospital, prison and government building in the three Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, following the May takeover of Manx Telecom.  I was told that they are also eyeing up KCOM (Kingston on Hull) services in the UK, which is up for sale.

 

 

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There's something you should know: Music Giants XII bumper bundle of Duran Duran memorabilia issued on 17 September 2026

Music Giants 12 - hard to believe isn't it?   This is what WIkipedia has to say about the band:

Duran Duran are an English pop rock band. Formed in Birmingham in 1978 by keyboardist Nick Rhodes, guitarist (later bassist) John Taylor and singer/bassist Stephen Duffy. The band went through several early changes before the band's line-up settled in May 1980 as Rhodes, Taylor, singer Simon Le Bon, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.

And this is what Royal Mail say:

Few bands have defined the sound and style of an era quite like Duran Duran. As pioneers of the New Romantic movement and one of the most influential groups of the 1980s, their blend of innovative pop, striking visual identity, and boundary-pushing music videos helped rewrite the rules of global stardom.

The stamp issue coincides with the start of the band's UK and European Tour in Autumn 2026.

The stamps  

Set of 8 x 1st class Duran Duran stamps issued 17 September 2026.

The stamps show the album artwork for Duran Duran, Rio, Ragged Tiger, Notorious, The Wedding Album, Astronaut, Paper Gods, and Future Past.  (No acknowledgements available.)

Miniature Sheet

Miniature sheet of 4 x 1st class Duran Duran stamps issued 17 September 2026 - what a mess! 

Technical details

The 38 x 35 mm stamps were designed by Royal Mail using existing album cover artwork. They were printed by Cartor Security Printers in lithography in gummed sheets of 48, in se-tenant strips of four, perf 14.

The 180 x 74 mm miniature sheet was designed by True North and printed by Cartor Security Printers in litho on self-adhesive paper.  Two stamps are 27 x 37 mm, one 37 x 27 mm perf 14, and one 35 mm square perf 14.5.

The stamps on the MS show posters for the Careless Memories Tour (1981), Sing Blue Silver Tour (1983-4), Astronaut Tour (2005-6), and the Invisible Tour (2025). 

This is the first miniature sheet that has a printed image on the rear of the sheet and features the four current band members: John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, as seen here on images of the press sheet of 12 miniature sheets (price £86.40)

Prestige Stamp Book

Sadly this once again includes two definitives which we have seen before from PSBs, the 50p and £1, coded M26L MPIL as expected. 

A limited edition (3,000) PSB has a red cover as shown and comes in a matching display box. It also includes five special postcards. (£50)

Collector sheet and fan sheets

As with all Collector sheets  10 x 1st class stamps (which means duplicating two of the stamps from the set) and accompanying labels.  As expected the stamps are self-adhesive unlike the sheet stamps. Price £19.20

Duran Duran Collector Sheet of 10 self-adhesive stamps

Two Fan Sheets, one for the Invisible Days Tour including four stamps from the miniature sheet, and one for the album Seven and the Ragged Tiger. The sheets are printed in the same way as the original stamps, so now new stamps.  The edition is 10,000 of each, individually numbered, priced £10 

Products available (if I don't run out of space!)

Set of 8 stamps, miniature sheet, presentation pack, first day covers (2, or 3 if you count the pointless PSB pane cover), prestige stamp book (PSB), limited edition PSB (£50), stamp cards, collector sheet, Fan Sheets (2), press sheet of 12 miniature sheets,  medal cover with set of stamps (£25), set and MS on 2 separate 'souvenir carriers' (£7.50), Limited edition silver ingot (£25), framed set & MS (£45), framed set (£40), framed collector sheet (£40), signed framed Invisible Days fan sheet - edition of 25 (£300).

Phew!

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Slogan postmarks for September? Maybe - and other interesting postmarks and news

I am writing this at the end of August as I won't know until the middle of September what has happened during the month.

I expect September to start with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) default slogan, but I this should soon make way for a slogan marking Air Ambulance Week which this year runs from 7-13 September.  Postmarks should appear all week until Saturday 12th.  Then the BHF slogan should return.

Update 14 September:  Thank you to everyone who sent examples of September's slogans, and especially to RW who scoops the jackpot by providing good examples of everything!

1. British Heart Foundation default slogan, both types.  Northern Ireland Mail Centre and Norwich Mail Centre both used 2 September.

Both formats of the British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland Mail Centre 02/09/2026 and Norwich Mail Centre 02-09-2026

 

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2. Air Ambulance Week.  The slogan is in the format used in previous years.  Examples from Tyneside NE/SR Mail Centre and Mount Pleasant Mail Centre.

Support your
Air Ambulance

Air Ambulance Week
September 7th - 13th

 

Support Your Air Ambulance Mount Pleasant Mail Centre 08-09-2026

Support Your Air Ambulance Tyneside NE/SR Mail Centre 08/09/2026

Royal Mail publicity image on X - I quite like this as it draws attention to the subject.

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UPDATE 15 September.

As anybody who has received stamped mail will know we are back to the BHF default this week, but I am expecting the annual Send A Card campaign to get a 'Thinking of you' slogan very soon. The week officially starts on 21 September, which is next Monday, so it is quite likely that the slogan will start on this Friday (18th) - look out for examples, and let's hope we can have a full house as we did for the Air Ambulance.

This was on the PGBuzz website* confirming that campaign which Royal Mail is hoping will be mutually beneficial is instigated by the Greetings Card Association.

* Includes some Royal Mail videos apparently show only on Instagram.

 

Send A Card
Deliver A Smile for
Thinking of You Week
21-27 September 2026 

Two good clear examples from KeithD both on 22nd September.  One layout from Chester & N Wales and the other from Glasgow Mail Centre.

Thinking of You Week slogan used at Glasgow Mail Centre 22-09-2026

Thinking of You Week slogan used at Chester & N Wales Mail Centre 22/09/2026

But first on the grid was AnthonyA with one from Gatwick Mail Centre on 18 September

Thinking of You Week slogan used at Gatwick Mail Centre 18-09-2026

Thank you both. 

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Other postmarks and postal markings

Holmbush update - JF has sent an additional example of the Morse-type self-inking-date stamp, with the index letter A, rather than the H shown earlier. 

Holmbush Post Office index letter A 'Morse' type SID 24 AUG 2026.

As with all the 'Morse' postmarks it lacks the proper spacing between the letters.

It appears thus  .--.---...----..-...-...-.-.

instead of  .--. --- ... - --- ..-. ..-. .. -.-.   

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UPDATE 22 September.  A very Worthy addition to the blog, from JF, is this self-inking datestamp (SID) from PILTON in Somerset.  (It's the nearest village to Worthy Farm, of Glastonbury Festival fame).  The branch is in the village Co-op store, which is squashed between the Village Hall and St Mary's Lane.  The Google streetview photos don't give a good view of the post office.

Pilton (Somerset) SID 15 September 2026

Coincidentally from JW, another SID , from West Pilton, Edinburgh.  The Pennywell branch post office shut down around 2 years ago due to the old building being demolished, and at last it has reopened in a new location.

West Pilton SID 21 September 2026

These are the photos taken by JW, this week.  

Pennywell branch post office, Edinburgh 21 September 2026

These are earlier pictures before the old building was knocked down - some appearances suggest parts of it were falling down.

(All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

 

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Remember, slogan postmarks appearing in September will be added to this post so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.

A reminder of what these monthly listings are for.

For each month I record the different slogans in use, plus the default slogan that is used when there is nothing else.

For each of these I try to record only one of each of the basic two types, plus any that are reversed on square envelopes, which normally only gives three or four.  

Occasionally a slogan appears with different line spacing in the same format.

I do not record multiple versions of the same as any of these unless I later get a much better example of one that I showed purely for the record, but which is otherwise not very clear.

The only exception to this, which doesn't seem to happen much these days, is when a slogan is used well out of time.  

I mention this only to avoid readers unnecessarily duplicating what has already been provided.

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Holiday time again - back in mid-September!

It is ten years after our epic journey to New Zealand etc - it doesn't seem that long ago, but then available time is filled so much it seems to flash by these days.

So we are having a much shorter break, just two weeks and nowhere near as far.

I'm going to try to avoid anything to do with the business, this (like that last trip) is sharing time, so it is quiet likely that blog comments will not be moderated - please don't repeat them just because they haven't been published.

For the few who still use it, the shop will be closed.  

Sometime in September I'll kick-off the aerogrammes offer again, having taken over another wide-ranging quantity of NVI and much earlier issues which are useful for the collector as well as the user. There will be some back to the pre-decimal period, some Forces and some non-stamped versions just for fun.

The Music Giants issue will be revealed on 10 September, and I'll be back the following week so you won't have long to wait before seeing your caustic comments in 'print'. 

I did find a relevant set of stamps for this post.

 

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Slogan postmarks for August? Maybe - and other interesting postmarks and news

We are a 18 days through August but so far I have had no reports of new slogans.  Mind you, with the low amount of stamped mail anyone receives these days - apart from dealers and other collectors - it's hardly surprising that we have had no reports yet, not even for the default British Heart Foundation (BHF) slogan.

Mind you, the BHF slogan may not continue for much longer.  John F reports seeing this on Royal Mail's website: 

Royal Mail are working in partnership with the charity Missing People to raise awareness of their support services for anyone who may be thinking about disappearing, anyone already away from home, or friends and family with a missing loved one.

Update: John has advised that this partnership has been running for a number of years - although I've never seen any evidence of 'raising awareness' - so it is unlikely that it will replace the BHF slogan.

On which subject I received two today, sadly on the same envelope from Sheffield Mail Centre. Margaret also sent one from Home Counties North, date unclear.

British Heart Foundation slogan Sheffield Mail Centre 17 August 2026

British Heart Foundation slogan Home Counties North ?? August 2026

UPDATE 20 August. I am pleased to say that SS in Canada has now returned from holiday and has sent a couple of items for inclusion here.  Out of 11 UK packages only three were postmarked and on one the stamps were pen-cancelled. The other 7 had nothing!  Anyway, here is a much clearer BHF slogan from Birmingham Mail Centre on 11/08/2026.

British Heart Foundation slogan Birmingham Mail Centre 11 August 2026

As a reminder of an occasional non-slogan ink-jet postmark, JohnH has sent this one from North & West Yorkshire showing a situation when the machine settings do not produce a slogan, only a summary.

Non-slogan inkjet postmark from North & West Yorkshire, 18/08/2026

 

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Other postmarks and postal markings

At the time of writing I haven't found anything to show here, but in the absence of anything new I shall probably delve into history!

Another one from SS in Canada, who received this package from Wotton Under Edge in Gloucestershire.  Nice use of the top three values of the datamatrix Machin stamps and 3 x 20p for the £8.60 up to 100 g rate International Tracked and Signed. 

Wotton Under Edge self-inking datestamp 27 July 2026

The post office is in the Co-operative supermarket in Long Street (Google Streetview 2025)

A dull day in Wotton Under Edge, outside the post office, July 2025.

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Remember, slogan postmarks appearing in August will be added to this post so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.

A reminder of what these monthly listings are for.

For each month I record the different slogans in use, plus the default slogan that is used when there is nothing else.

For each of these I try to record only one of each of the basic two types, plus any that are reversed on square envelopes, which normally only gives three or four.  

Occasionally a slogan appears with different line spacing in the same format.

I do not record multiple versions of the same as any of these unless I later get a much better example of one that I showed purely for the record, but which is otherwise not very clear.

The only exception to this, which doesn't seem to happen much these days, is when a slogan is used well out of time.  

I mention this only to avoid readers unnecessarily duplicating what has already been provided.

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