That is very true, whether it is a family member, a much-loved pet or a local service such as the Post Office.

According to the Federation of Small Businesses, the UK SME community is increasingly desperate for an alternative postal service, as post offices up and down the country are closing left, right and centre.

At the last count, some 2,500 branches across the country had been earmarked for closure this year, despite growing protests from local communities and business owners.

This is forcing smaller firms to increasingly rely on expensive courier companies, which from many accounts have all too often lost items or damaged them before they reach the customer.

Courier firms rarely want to take one small item, and will therefore charge in bulk, making posting anything to customers a costly headache for smaller firms.

I am sure every reader has at some point popped into their local post office to send a small component or a piece of software to a customer. It is just more convenient and, in a lot of cases, much cheaper.

The good thing is, the Post Office seems to be able to find the money to spend on irritating adverts featuring has-beens from the world of soaps and comedy. Oh, and the Houses of Parliament has kept its Post Office too. There’s a relief.

But when it comes to providing a necessary service for thousands of business customers it is falling short.
There is a definite opportunity for some enterprising soul to capitalise on this demise of a once great institution and offer a viable alternative.

I have just bought a motorbike so am available at weekends for those hard to reach rural destinations.