A BOURNEMOUTH post office picked up a prestigious award for excellence on Friday night.

Staff at Bradpole Road Post Office, in Castle Lane West, were over the moon to discover they would be taking home the Echo’s Independent Retailer of the Year award at the National Federation of Retail Newsagents’ Retail Excellence Awards ceremony.

A flood of Echo readers voted for their favourite newsagent in August after we launched a competition to find the best on the south coast, and after Bradpole Road staff won that accolade, they were automatically entered into the Awards.

Manager Brin Kasi said: “We were very shocked to learn we’d won the award.

“It was amazing. We want to say thank you to the Echo – we were so surprised but so happy to win the award.”

Hard-working employees were rewarded with a certificate celebrating their endeavours at the glamorous Southampton ceremony.

Mr Kasi said: “The ceremony was so lovely. Everything looked beautiful and we were treated so well and made so comfortable. It was a very nice night for us.”

The manager also praised the post offices’ loyal customers.

“We serve the community – that is our job,” he said. “This is a really good thing to happen to us and it means a lot.”

Despite their exciting new status, on Saturday morning it was business as usual for employees.

“We are all tired but the doors are open for customers, as it should be,” said Mr Kasi.

“When we finish, I think we’ll all be going straight to sleep.”