Post offices provide vital service to the elderly especially in remote villages, allowing them to pick up their pension, pay bills, post letters and parcels and even socialise.

But those services have been threatened by the proposed closure of numerous branches across the country – including up to 230 in the east of England – some of which will be in the Peterborough area.

Research from Postwatch, the watchdog for the postal service, said that of residents already affected by the thousands of branches closed over the last decade, nearly a third of those aged over 65 said they were affected 'a great deal' when their branch was axed.

Today pensioner groups and charities backed The Evening Telegraph's Hands Off Our Post Offices campaign, to try and save as many branches as possible from the closures, announced by The Post Office.

Hands Off Our Post Offices petition:
Download the The ET's petition as a PDF.

There will be a six week public consultation period starting in April in Cambridgeshire, before the closures are announced in July.

Help the Aged senior policy officer for community living Alan Burnett told pensioners that they could make a difference in keeping their branch open.

He said: "Each area plan will be published for consultation, but the consultation period for each will only last six weeks.

"With a large part of the older population likely to be affected, it is especially important that older people themselves get vigorously involved with this process.

"Well-researched and factually-based challenges to the Post Office proposals could shape the final outcome. Older people will bring practical information and local experience to an exercise which might otherwise simply reflect computer modelling and brief visits by post office officials. You can't beat local knowledge."

North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara today added more support to the ET's campaign, and said he would hand in completed petitions to parliament later in the year.

He said: "Post offices are vital to the well being of communities. The current closure programme being pursued by the Government and Post Office Ltd, which will result in 2,500 branches being shut, is unacceptable.

"I welcome The Evening Telegraph's petition, which will help highlight to Parliament and the Government just how much support our local post offices have. It will be a privilege to present it to Parliament on behalf of residents and sub-post offices in our area."

Send your petition to Stephen Briggs, the Evening Telegraph, 57 Priestgate, Peterborough, PE1 1JW.