THE Post Office boss overseeing the proposed axing of 45 sub-post offices in Cumbria will be put on the spot when she visits South Lakeland today (Friday).

Julia Young, head of Network Change for the North West, will be challenged about the closure programme when she meets Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron in Kendal this morning.

Mr Farron has been a vociferous and energetic opponent of the Post Office's plans, which could see 18 post offices closing in South Lakeland, Furness and Eden. He said: "I will meet Julia Young and try to make the case for saving as many of the threatened post offices in my constituency as possible."

Meanwhile, the National Federation of Women's Institutes is backing Mr Farron's parliamentary campaign to halt the Network Change programme. Fay Mansell, NFWI chairman, has pledged to support the MP's Early Day Motion demanding a moratorium on post office closures until the Sustainable Communities Bill becomes law.

Mr Farron believes the legislation would make it more difficult for the Post Office to justify closing post offices, particularly in rural communities.

In a letter to the MP, Mrs Mansell said: "We are in support of your EDM and will be writing to all 72 of our federations encouraging them to write to their MPs to sign the EDM."

l Public meetings have been organised to try to save two post offices on the closure hit list.

Beetham Primary School will host two meetings tonight (Friday) to rally support for the village post office and store - the first between 6.45pm and 7.15pm, and the second from 7.30pm.

Brough Church Hall is the venue for a similar open meeting on Monday at 7.30pm.

There will also be a public meeting at Leven Valley School next Thursday, April 3, at 7.30pm, to rally support for the post office at Backbarrow.