Open all hours

LANDLORD Daniel Cressey outside Denshaw’s new general store — the pub

BREAD, milk and cheese to a full dry cleaning service . . . customers can pick up more than they bargained for at the Junction Inn.

The Denshaw pub opens its doors at 7.45am every day to supply villagers with essential groceries and newspapers.

Landlord Daniel Cressey’s empire began to grow last year when he decided to sell the Oldham Chronicle in the pub after Denshaw Post Office shut. The post office doubled up as a general store which also closed — leaving the 1,000-strong community with nowhere to shop for groceries.

Daniel (33) said: “Denshaw is a very close-knit community so when the post office and general store closed, I decided to help — people had nowhere else to go.

“Many people in the community are elderly and they would have to travel a long way to get their Chronicle and groceries every day.

“I try and get as much of the food I sell from local sources to support the local economy.

“There has been a really good response so far but word is still spreading around the village that we are opening in the mornings for breakfast and groceries and for dry cleaning.

“I started to sell the Chronicle in November as I didn’t want people to have to go without, and it just picked up from there.”

Daniel is hoping to make more post office services, such as pension withdrawals and pre-paid utility cards, available at the pub in the future.

A loyal customer said: “Now that Denshaw has lost its last shop it’s Daniel to the rescue. Not only can we still get our Oldham Chronicle we can also pop in for bread, milk, eggs, bacon, potatoes and cheese. This man is a lifeline to the village.”