Great Gidding post office, near Sawtry, is one of dozens of branches facing an uncertain future, as The Post Office prepares to axe a number of Cambridgeshire services.

This week, MP for North West Cambridgeshire Shailesh Vara visited sub-postmaster Jed Patel to offer his support to the branch, which offers crucial facilities to local residents.

The branch also doubles up as the only shop in the village, and along with traditional post offices services, also offers a prescription service.

Mr Patel (58) said: "There is no bus service out of the village, and many people rely on us, as they have no way of travelling the five miles to the nearest other branch in Sawtry.

"The prescription service is especially useful for pensioners, and people who work all week and cannot get to the doctors' surgery in Sawtry."

He added that having an axe hanging over the branch was causing worry for him.

He said: "This is a very worrying time for me as sub- postmaster at Great Gidding and for my customers who rely on the service that our post office provides.

"We are grateful to Mr Vara for visiting us to show his support for what we do here at Great Gidding."

Mr Patel, who has run the branch for the last 10 years, has been supporting The Evening Telegraph's Hands Off Our Post Office campaign, which has already seen hundreds of people sign petitions and pledge support to their local branches.

Many people have said they desperately need the services, and Viv McGuire, a customer in Great Gidding, said that the branch was the cornerstone of the village.

She said: "The post office in Great Gidding provides crucial services to the villagers that goes far beyond that of the traditional post office.

"It is essentially the centre of village life."

Mr Vara, who is offering support for all branches in his constituency, said: "Post offices are essential for communities to function effectively, particularly in villages such as Great Gidding.

"The current closure programme being pursued by the Government and Post Office Ltd seems to be based on a wholly economic rationale, which simply does not recognise all sub-post office functions.

"I hope that Great Gidding post office will remain at the centre of the local community for years to come."