INVITATION cards, envelopes, ribbon, scissors - almost everything Stillington villagers needed for today's opening ceremony was on sale in the very post office they have saved.

Only the champagne needed to be bought in. We hope they haven't skimped. Members of the Stillington Community Association thoroughly deserve a glass or two of bubbly today.

Their achievement is worth celebrating. By forming a co-operative to rescue and run the village post office, they have triumphed over the forces of corporate indifference and community apathy.

Hundreds of villages have faced the same problem: the closure of their sub post office. Thousands of villagers have grumbled about it, over a pint in their local if they are fortunate enough to still have one. But few have done anything much to challenge the decision.

In Stillington, villagers refused to simply mark the passing of their post office with a few mumbled words of regret. They determined to keep it alive.

Today they have made good this promise. That says much about their hard work and professionalism. It is also welcome confirmation that neighbourliness continues to thrive, despite regular reports of its demise.

Community spirit, above all else, is what saved Stillington Post Office. The villagers have worked hard in all sorts of unseen ways to ensure the business took off, and many have bought shares in it.

We are delighted that the Government has backed their efforts with a Defra rural enterprise grant. After all, there can be few better examples than this of New Labour's "stakeholder society".

Now the villagers must make the post office pay. Many of them have a vested interest in its prosperity. And the higher its profits, the more money can be ploughed back into the community. That is the joy of a co-operative.

Founded on such goodwill, the post office is in a great position to succeed. We wish the pioneering project well - as will many other communities who may be tempted down the same self-sufficient road.

Updated: 10:32 Monday, June 30, 2003