Popular Cornelly pub the New House Inn has teamed up with the reach rural development team at Bridgend County Borough Council and Pub is The Hub to unveil a unique new parcel drop-off service.
Designed to provide the local community with a free secure collection point that overcomes problems posed when householders are not at home to receive packages, the service enables major distributors and agents to drop off and store parcels at the pub.
The parcels remain safely locked up within a specially installed secure caged area at the pub until householders are free to come and collect them later in the day or week.
The community parcel drop-off service has been established after pub landlord Geoff Morehouse approached the reach Innovation Fund at Bridgend County Borough Council with the idea. The project is supported by Welsh Government, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and Cadwyn Clwyd.
Deputy Leader David Sage said: “This new service is a great example of a local business working for the good of the community. The service is especially useful if you order goods online as you can designate the New House Inn as the delivery address, then come and collect your parcel at your leisure.
“While it is not suitable for certain types of delivery such as perishable food, large items of furniture or valuable antiques, all you need to do to claim your parcel is to bring along photographic ID and a recent utility bill to the pub.
“Well done to landlord Geoff Morehouse for providing this extremely handy service, and I hope other landlords will be inspired to come up with similarly innovative community ideas at pubs throughout Bridgend County Borough.”
Pub is The Hub’s Regional Advisor Malcolm Harrison added: “Geoff’s initiative at the New Inn formalises what every great pub landlord has done for time immemorial – being available, accessible and caring about the local community seven days a week.
“Great licensees see gaps in local services and they are able to step in and offer them instead – that’s what being a great neighbour is all about.”