Mock funeral planned for last village cash machine

Residents in a village are planning a mock funeral for its only cash machine if it is removed.

The Barclays machine in St Agnes, Cornwall, was due to close on 11 December after Link, which manages the machine, said residents and businesses could access cash from the Post Office.

That decision was criticised and residents said they planned to mark any removal in January by carrying a coffin emblazoned with the bank's logo while dressed in black.

Cornwall Council member Pete Mitchell said local life without the machine would be a "disaster". The machine said in an on-screen message it was to "remain open for now" while Link assessed local needs, with a closure date to be announced.

St Agnes has about 200 registered companies, many of which encourage cash payments.

Rob Carr, owner of Carr Butchers, said: "A lot of my customers like to pay cash, especially a lot of the older generation. They know how much they can spend if they've got the cash on them.

"If it goes, it will be a struggle for the whole village.

"It's not just me – people go to the pub and spend cash. It will affect everyone."

The town's Barclays branch shut in 2015, despite about 3,000 residents who signed a petition to save it.

The decision to close the machine has been criticised by bosses of the local Post Office, who said the branch would not be able to cope with demand, while St Agnes Surgery objected to the removal and described it as an "invaluable service" to its patients.

The nearest free-to-use ATM is in Perranporth, about 3.9 miles (6.2km) away.

Mitchell said the closure would "particularly affect" people who did not drive, older and disabled residents.

He said the last census showed that one in four residents of St Agnes were aged 65 or over, and the village was continuing to grow.

Link said it carried out an assessment of cash access following the announced closure of the ATM in September 2026 and determined residents and businesses could continue to access the cash services they need through the local Post Office, which was open seven days a week.

It said its appeals process would "carefully consider all the information submitted" to ensure the "right conclusion" was reached.

Barclays said changes to its ATM network were "independently assessed by Link under the UK's Access to Cash framework to ensure local communities continue to have access to cash".

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