PETER and Sue Knight have another reason to celebrate after they won a fight to keep the post office branch in their shop.

Personal Service Stores and the Post Office in Hinton St George has now been shortlisted as a South West finalist in the Countryside Alliance Awards' village shop/post office category for offering outstanding customer service and high-quality goods.

The branch was threatened in the summer as part of cutbacks across Somerset and was one of only a few that were saved following hard-fought campaigns in the community.

Sue said of their latest achievement: "It is quite exciting. We are not sure who nominated us but it was very kind of them. We try to give a good service and it is nice to know it is appreciated.

"The shop benefits the community as it's a busy little hub. It is a two-way thing; the villagers help us by shopping here and the villagers benefit from having it and not having to drive out of Hinton to go elsewhere to buy goods."

The couple, both aged 61, are now keeping their fingers crossed that they will beat their competitors from Minehead and Ilfracombe. The winner will be announced in January and they will then compete against other regional winners for the national title, which will be revealed in March 2009.

Countryside Alliance said the awards were borne from a need to support and promote rural communities following prolonged doom-and-gloom tales of rural decline. The alliance said this did not accurately reflect the spirits of rural people and their efforts to keep communities alive.

It is not the first time Peter and Sue have been recognised for their hard work. They have previously been nominated for the same award and were runners up in a County Living magazine competition in 2003.

They have run the High Street shop, which has two part-time staff, for 22 years after moving from Essex to escape the London area, where Peter was a barristers' clerk.

Sue said: "We enjoy running it very much. I enjoy meeting people and everyone is very supportive of us; it is a good lifestyle and we like living in the countryside."

The couple took on the post office branch in 1991. When its future was threatened, residents mounted a full-scale successful campaign because they did not want to travel to Merriott or Crewkerne for the service.

Sue said: "I think our profile has been raised because of the post office problem, as people realise how much they needed the services.

"It was really a necessity to keep the post office, mainly because of the large number of elderly and disabled people in the village and the poor public transport links."

They have been congratulated on their nomination by Yeovil MP David Laws.

He said: "This is very good news and worthy recognition of the hard work of all the staff at the Personal Service Stores.

"I wish Peter and Sue all the best of luck for the remainder of the competition and continued success in the future."