We are a group with a mission, to redress the chances that were taken from us growing up.
United Kingdom
Joined June 2024
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We Have BIG News! Lost Chances has been granted charity status and is now an official charity! This is a very proud moment. @fujitsu_uk @BBCEmmaSimpson @HugoCDaniel @SkyNewsAdele @CastletonLee @stugoo17 @Janetsk20073533 @mkiceburnmarko @TeatsVinegar
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
Fujitsu Set for Another Extension - 30-year relationship with the Post Office looks set to drag on even longer, as the transition away from supplier behind schedule. #PostOfficeScandal computerweekly.com/news/3666…
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
It will be 6 whole years on 11th December 2026 since my dad cleared his name: 6 years. My dad is still waiting for compensation, and his health isn't improving with age. 73 and disabled. #PostOfficeScandal
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
FUNERAL EVE INTERVIEW
Louise Dar was 7 months pregnant when she faced the auditors.
The day before her mother's funeral, Louise Dar was questioned. Post Office called it a formal interview, which is a lovely name for asking a grieving woman where the money went.
I read Louise Dar's sworn statement to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry @PostOffInquiry. She took over the village post counter in Lenzie, near Glasgow, in November 2014.
She is a mum of 3 and a former IT analyst, and before opening she asked for training on what to do when the books do not balance. She says she was fobbed off, and that a trainer told her cost cutbacks had shrunk the course from 5 days to 3.
On day one, she says, auditor Margaret Guthrie suggested she had taken the £977, even though they had been together all day. Louise Dar says Margaret Guthrie had entered the stamps wrongly herself and could not find her own mistake. Her advice for future trouble was to get on with it and ring the helpline. Reassuring stuff from the person sent to check everyone else's sums.
Then the audits came. In July 2015 about £10,500 was found missing and her branch shut for 6 weeks. She repaid £877 a month for 18 months. Two more audits found about £2,500 in 2016 and £6,900 in 2017.
She says losses kept appearing while she was locked out of the system ....
She says she paid or had deducted over £44,000. Her mother-in-law sold jewellery to help. She says her contracts manager Brian Trotter asked her several times to admit falsifying the books. Persistence like that deserves a bonus..
Her mother died suddenly in March 2017. She says Post Office summoned her to a formal interview the day before the funeral and accused her of stealing.
Thoughtful scheduling, really. Her appointment ended on 27 March 2017 and she was never charged. Her mother never saw her proved right.
Post Office tells it differently. It says her appointment ended for repeated failures to account for cash and stock, and for being unable to explain or repay the last shortfall. It says its investigation found falsified entries under her assistant's login and that she later accepted she was responsible for an unexplained currency gap. Its barrister put it to her in the High Court that the losses came from her or her staff's dishonesty or errors.
She denied it and said the helpline once told her to change stock figures. Its barrister said that did not happen. She said it categorically did.
She was one of 6 lead claimants for 555 postmasters in the High Court case against Post Office, which left her outside the Historic Shortfall Scheme. She told the Inquiry on 11 May 2022 that her payments hardly touched her debts.
In January 2024 she asked Police Scotland @PoliceScotland to investigate. It said it was not investigating at that time.
The government owns Post Office and the Department for Business and Trade runs the compensation, so the owner is also the claims desk. Very handy.
Louise Dar asked for troubleshooting training. @PostOffice gave her the trouble.
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
I am going to be in Cranleigh on 11 November. Surrey/W Sussex friends, please come along, or tell your friends, or both.
roundandabout.co.uk/nick-wal…
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
The UK government expects to report on the impact of pre-Horizon software errors on subpostmasters by spring next year💬 "We will be looking at a range of software and systems in place that pre-date Horizon." computerweekly.com/news/3666…
#postofficescandal Anyone know what PV is up to these days?
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
#PostOfficeScandal #Redress #Compensation #Accountability #HCAB
Yesterday 20th October 2026 Sec of State Rt. Hon. @jreynoldsMP appeared in front of the Business Select Committee @CommonsBTC . He was asked by the Chair @liambyrnemp why 1800 Redress Scheme Claims still remained unsettled despite stated ambitions in January from @biztradegovuk that all claims would be settled by the Summer.
Two full years ago upon his original appointment as Sec of State in 2024, Rt. Hon. Jonathan Reynolds MP announced the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals Process following recommendations from the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board in 2023. He told the House of Commons the new appeals process would be “easy” to engage with and its outcomes would be “delivered at pace”.
The Scheme was finally launched 7 months later on 8th April 2025.
Since the launch of the HSSA 18 months ago 155 Victims have claimed under the Scheme with just 26 Claims settled to date.
So three years on from a recommendation of the HCAB and just 17% of claims settled is an interesting definition of "Delivered at pace" ⁉️
Latest Redress figures to 30th September 2026: 👇
gov.uk/government/publicatio…
As of 30 September 2026, approximately £1,731 million has been paid to over 14,000 claimants yet Fujitsu have still yet to contribute one penny piece. 😡 😤
@CastletonLee @Janetsk20073533 @Malcolm22206844 @ElCShaikh @nickwallis @VarchasPatel @sharrond62 @ArturNadol7566 @rbrooks45 @andyburnham @BBCEmmaSimpson @DavidDavisMP @kevinhollinrake @premnsikka @UKHouseofLords @HouseofCommons
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
The Post Office (read Government) has spent over 334 million pounds of taxpayers' (your) money on lawyers defending the indefensible.
Inquiries, Reviews, Schemes, more Reviews, more Schemes.
Sub Postmasters dying or taking their own lives.
Families torn apart.
Children spat at.
Marriages ended.
It is quite intolerable.
AND NOW ANOTHER SCHEME.
Message to Minister "JUST PAY THEM" and not a single penny more to so called Legal Firms.
To this lovely community. Please can you help share so we can get to £7k? We are so close to our target, we are so grateful of every donation, it really does count.
We represent hundreds of adult children affected by the Post Office Horizon scandal. Some left school early after parents faced wrongful convictions and imprisonment, with no compensation for their lost opportunities. We’re 93% funded. Please help fund education grants through our GoFundMe page. Thank you. #PostOfficeScandal
gofund.me/f31d7b6f8
#Postofficescandal ✉️ ⭐ 🚨 ‼️ 🔔
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New action on redress for postmasters affected by Post Office scandals
Deadlines set for closure of remaining redress schemes for postmasters, providing certainty while ensuring eligible individuals still have time to submit new claims
New independent routes for reviewing and appealing claims to strengthen fairness
Independent investigation announced into pre-Horizon software systems
Over £1.7 billion compensation paid out to over 14,000 postmasters through Horizon redress schemes
Thousands of postmasters affected by the Horizon and Capture scandals are set to benefit from new action on redress. The Government has today [21 October] announced a new package of measures to provide pathways to conclusion for schemes, strengthen scrutiny and fairness, and investigate pre-Horizon software.
The scandals caused profound harm to postmasters, many of whom suffered years of financial, personal and reputational damage through no fault of their own. Over £1.7 billion has now been paid out in compensation to over 14,000 of those affected, with 87% of Horizon claims received now settled.
Post Office Minister, Kate Dearden said:
“We must never lose sight of the suffering caused by the Horizon and Capture scandals. Behind every pound of compensation paid is a person whose life has been turned upside down by the scandal.
“We remain unwavering in our commitment to provide fair, comprehensive and timely redress to all those affected and ensure that a scandal like this never happens again.”
New deadlines have been set for applications to the two remaining postmaster redress schemes, providing a pathway to conclusion while ensuring sufficient time for people to apply. The Capture Redress Scheme will close to new applications on 31 March 2027, while the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme will close to new submissions on 31 July 2027.
New routes have also been announced to strengthen fairness around compensation offers on the Horizon Shortfalls Scheme (HSS). Later this month, a new independent review process will begin for postmasters who have been told that there is insufficient evidence to receive a fixed sum offer of compensation.
A new independent review process will also open in November for those who have previously accepted HSS fixed sum offers and believe their claims were undervalued.
To ensure no stone is left unturned in uncovering the full extent of issues affecting postmasters, a new independent investigation into software used before Horizon has also now been confirmed.
This follows a recommendation from the Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Select Committee, with an independent investigator to establish a full understanding of other software applications and their potential impact. The evidence it produces will be used to inform any future considerations.
Notes to Editors
Registration remains open for the Horizon Family Members Redress Scheme, with claims processing expected to begin early next year. The scheme recognises that the impact of the scandal extended beyond postmasters to their families.
The Government also confirmed that the Restorative Justice programme is now fully operational, providing a voluntary process for postmasters and family members who wish to participate.
As of 30 September 2026, approximately £1,731 million has been paid to over 14,000 claimants for Horizon Redress schemes (Post Office Horizon financial redress data as of 30 September 2026 - GOV.UK )
Over £9 million has been paid to claimants on the Capture redress scheme (Post Office Capture financial redress data as of 30 September 2026 - GOV.UK)
@stugoo17 @ElCShaikh @CastletonLee @VarchasPatel @brianwhelton @RosieBrock71780 @chrish9070 @debrapet @vicderbyshire @BBCBreakfast @mkiceburnmarko @TeatsVinegar @SkyNewsAdele @HugoCDaniel @LBC @premnsikka @nickwallis @NORBET
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
Please repost, listen to first hand experiences. How lessons should be learnt, and can be learned. What justice and accountability should be.
Dudley Trades Council Meeting
Zoom Online: Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 7pm
Guest Speakers:
Janet Skinner #PostOffice #HorizonScandal
Alan Wylie #SaveLibraries #Islington
Free registration: [email protected]
download
drive.google.com/file/d/1K8w…
Please share invite @UnisonDudley @johnmcdonnellMP @jeremycorbyn @AndreaEganGS @BladeoftheS @Janetsk20073533 @wylie_alan @Joe_Rich @RosieBrock71780 @MusicConnoisseu @vicderbyshire @LaserMike33 @David0Sm @VarchasPatel @Mauddib8 @TracyAustin_ @NevilleSouthall @Chrisviews43 @sukhdev_reel @RichieBrave @mariaspears @docrussjackson
Gary Thomas called sub-postmasters “all crooks” in an email disclosed to the Inquiry. He later acknowledged his words were disgraceful.
Meanwhile, victims and families still live with anger, injustice and trauma. Thomas appears to face no comparable consequences, while taxpayers continue footing the compensation bill for a scandal they didn’t cause.
Where is the accountability? #PostOfficeScandal
This is exactly why Redress for children matters. #postofficescandal
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
FAMILY TOLD YEARS AFTER HER DEATH
Ever refreshed your inbox for an answer that never came? The case against Fiona McGowan was dropped and nobody mentioned it to her.
Fiona McGowan died in 2009, aged 47, waiting to face court over £30,000 that the @PostOffice system showed as missing from her Edinburgh branch. She ran it with her partner Phil Cowan.
The system was called Horizon. Phil Cowan says the area manager's first question was how soon they could pay the money back. She was charged with false accounting, which means recording figures wrongly in the books.
Phil Cowan says he only found out years later, through a freedom of information request, a legal way to ask public bodies for their records, that the case against her had been withdrawn before she died. He says nobody at the Post Office ever told them.
He told the @Sunday_Post she may well be alive today if she had not been facing court.
Watch the end of the @itvnews clip, where a Post Office statement says it is deeply sorry for the suffering the events of the Horizon scandal brought. Events did it, apparently. In July 2025 the same Post Office said it apologises unreservedly for the suffering Post Office caused.
Then read the Post Office website. It calls the scandal a dispute that mainly concerns whether a computer system was reliable. A dispute. It also says today's Post Office puts justice and redress for victims first.
I see this everywhere. The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry @PostOffInquiry found Post Office staff knew, or should have known, that Horizon could produce errors, and the company kept pretending it was accurate. Now Horizon takes the blame, the Post Office turns up as the saviour and history gets rewritten.
The Post Office is owned by the UK government and in Scotland the Crown Office @COPFS handles prosecutions, so the state owns this too and had at least 2 numbers to ring.
Her family only learned the truth years after she died. How is that human? How is that even a process?
Nobody told Fiona McGowan. Not even by post..
Sources
@Sunday_Post @DailyMailUK @edinburghpaper @TheScotsman
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
Legal regulators’ Post Office probes “could fail” due to lack of powers
#postofficescandal #postofficeinquiry
legalfutures.co.uk/latest-ne…
A useful public reminder for any #Libdem sort. #postofficescandal
#PostOfficeScandal #PostOfficeInquiry with Ed Dave’s in the news in relation to his role in the Horizon scandal, here is a letter to Alan Bates in 2010, turning down a meeting request
Lost Chances (Registered Charity 1213178) retweeted
DUKINFIELD POSTMISTRESS
In 2012 the @PostOffice hired outside forensic accountants to investigate complaints about its Horizon computer system. That same year, it got Della Robinson convicted using Horizon figures.
If you have never heard of the Post Office scandal, here is the short version. The Post Office is owned 100% by the UK government, which makes the government the owner of everything that follows. Your taxes are in this story somewhere. It used a computer system called Horizon, supplied by Fujitsu, to record the money in local branches. Horizon showed shortfalls. The Post Office blamed the people running the branches and prosecuted them. More than 700 were convicted. A High Court judge later found Horizon could produce wrong figures in branch accounts.
Della Robinson ran the Post Office in Dukinfield, near Manchester. She took it over in 2006. In January 2012 auditors turned up, counted the cash and said she was £17,000 short. She was suspended on the spot. Post Office security searched her home and her car. Her contract was ended in February. She was charged with theft and false accounting. Horizon was unavailable for comment.
She says she was told that if she pleaded guilty to false accounting, the theft charge would be dropped and the Post Office would not chase the money. She pleaded guilty in late 2012. She received 180 hours of community service and a £5,000 legal bill. Then a letter arrived telling her to pay the money back.
Here is the bit I cannot get past. @ComputerWeekly published the stories of 7 postmasters with Horizon problems in May 2009. That is more than 3 years before Della Robinson's conviction. A campaign group, the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, formed that year. The Post Office prosecuted anyway.
She did her community service in an Age UK shop, where many of her old Post Office customers did their shopping. A buyer who had talked about paying around £120,000 for the branch disappeared. Two rental properties were repossessed. She says the stress made her epilepsy worse and she lost her driving licence.
Not long after her conviction she heard Alan Bates on the radio, phoned him and found out she was far from alone. The Criminal Cases Review Commission received her application in April 2015 and sent her case to the Court of Appeal in July 2020. In April 2021 the court quashed her conviction along with 38 others. It said the Post Office's failures were so serious that prosecuting these people offended the conscience of the court.
Press coverage of Della Robinson is thin, so I dug it all up and put it here.
The Post Office kept telling everyone Horizon was robust. Della Robinson was handed 180 hours of community service to match.
Sources: @ManchesterMill @ComputerWeekly @PostOffInquiry @ccrcupdate