A Carmarthenshire village shop and Post Office run by volunteers is celebrating 10 years of service.

Dryslwyn Community Shop and Post Office was taken over by the village in 2008 to save it from closure.

The volunteer-led enterprise initially operated as a satellite of Llandeilo Post Office.

However, after proving its ability to operate independently, it launched its own services and has been thriving ever since.

Across the decade, more than 40 volunteers have played a part in its success, clocking up at least 7,000 hours of service, six days a week.

The shop, on the outskirts of Cwrt Henri village, provides a bilingual service to the scattered rural community and is an important resource for the area.

Michele Powell, one of 13 regular volunteers, said: "Our volunteers come from all walks of life, so we’ve all had to learn the ins and outs of running the Post Office service, which is a responsibility and can be quite complex.

"I knew next to nothing about running a Post Office before I started here.

"You really don’t know what your talents are until you dip your toe in the water and give it a go.

"But it’s been a great way to make friends, serve the community, and learn new skills."

The shop also hosts work placements and student work experience opportunities and collaborates with organisations like Menter Dinefwr and Cwrt Henri Primary School.

Lynn Lewis, Post Office regional manager for South Wales and the West, presented the 10-year Post Office Local Award to the shop.

She said: "We are delighted to recognise the success of Dryslwyn’s community enterprise and commend the important difference it makes to the rural economy, to individuals, and the many small businesses in its area."

Ryan Leonard, Post Office area manager for the West Wales retail network, said: "Dryslwyn continues to be a significant and inspiring asset in our rural area network.

"It ensures everyone has access to all our familiar counter postal services, as well as the wider facilities including banking, foreign exchange, pensions, and convenient routes to pay household bills."

Another regular volunteer and first language Welsh speaker, Nigel Jones, said: "Our aim is to provide support to the whole community and involve everyone to help us do that.

"It’s great when everyone lends a hand, and it creates a real social support hub too."

Reflecting on the success of the past decade, Mr Jones, who is also the chairman of the SiopNEWydd new shop project team, said: "We are genuinely proud of our community shop and Post Office, and everyone agrees it is providing vital resources for those in the area.

"We now have exciting plans for new premises with space to add new ventures all designed to increase the resilience and sustainability of the community.

"Today's Post Office award shows what we can achieve in the future by working together as a team."

In recent years, Dryslwyn Community Shop and Post Office has also received national recognition.

Last month, it was a UK finalist in the 2024 Rural Community Business ‘Investing in Local People’ awards hosted by Plunkett UK.

In 2021, it won Carmarthenshire’s first-ever Queen’s Award for Volunteering.