Valentine’s Day preparations underway in ‘world’s most romantic village’

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Valentine’s Day preparations underway in ‘world’s most romantic village’

Karen Gardner & Sophie Parker

BBC News, Wiltshire

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BBC

Nick Gibbs is part of the organisation of the postal service

A small English village, dubbed the most romantic in the world, is currently a hive of activity as residents prepare for Valentine’s Day.

People in Lover, Wiltshire, take the annual celebration of love very seriously, with volunteers now sending thousands of cards across the world with their unique postal service.

It has earned the romantically-named village worldwide fame, with sweethearts from every continent – even Antarctica – paying to have the Lover postmark on their cards.

People can order online or drop into the area’s pop-up post office that is open in the lead up to 14 February.

Nine years ago, residents formed the Lover Community Trust and since then have sent more than 10,000 love letters.

And the romance does not end with their postal service, they have also decorated the area with paper hearts and opened a Darling café.

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People pay for the special stamp to appear on their envelopes

Nick Gibbs, who runs the scheme alongside volunteers, said: “People just love this product. In a world full of trouble, this is an oasis of love and affection.

“It is that moment when you can express how you feel about somebody else and that’s wonderful.”

All the money paid for the cards goes back into supporting the community, including funding a major refurbishment of the Old School building.

Mr Gibbs added: “They go all over the world. We’ve been on *********** TV and had a rush of orders from Australia. We’ve been on American airport screens.”

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The village in rural south Wiltshire decided that even without a post office, there should be a Valentines service.

In the past, orders from China required a “re-jig” in technology so addresses could be read.

However, while many will be sending “love from lover”, they might find they pronounce it wrong – it is actually “lover” like “Dover”.

Before the Lover Community Trust was established in 2016, the Lover Post was in operation for four decades until the village post office closed in 2008.

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