A POST office in Enham Alamein has been awarded a grant for a community project.

The £10,000 will create a new space in the garden for community members to gain skills and experience in horticulture and learn about healthy eating.

The space would also be used to hold community events and involve schoolchildren in gardening.

Enham Alamein Post Office is one of 25 branches across England chosen as recipients of a grant worth up to £10,000 from the Community Enterprise Fund for plans to support local people and businesses and to tackle isolation among the elderly.

The post office was awarded the grant to create the walled garden by working closely with the community’s parish council and the disability charity Enham Trust.

The garden will provide an accessible community space where disabled residents and those without gardens can improve their skills, gain horticultural work experience and learn about healthy eating. Any excess products will be used in the care home kitchens run by Enham Trust or in the post office village shop.

Paula Vennells, Post Office chief executive said: “The Post Office is at the heart of communities across the country and our sub-postmasters understand how they can make a real impact on their customers’ lives.

“The Community Enterprise Fund builds on this unique role, enabling 25 branches to provide additional services designed around the needs of local people and businesses, such as helping the elderly to access support during cold winters and giving people access to the internet and computer training.”

Leslie Barry, of Enham Alamein Post Office, said: “I am delighted to receive this funding, which I know will go a long way towards helping improve our branch’s offer of support and services to our customers.

“We know our branch holds an important place in this community and I hope that our customers will welcome this announcement as good news for everyone in the area.

“I encourage anyone who has questions or wants to get involved to pop into the branch to have a chat with us.”

More than 100 post offices put forward ideas to help the communities.

The initial aim was to fund up to 20 schemes, but the quantity and quality of the proposals meant that 25 have been successful. Funding from the Cabinet Office for proposals which specifically address isolation enabled the additional schemes to be supported.

All nominations were for projects that were not-for-profit, but which provided a service or activity which was easily accessible and open to all.