Alun Lloyd Jones is a staple of the Llanfarian community.

He was the local county councillor for more than 30 years, governor of the village school and sat on the regional police and crime panel.

Along with that he ran the village shop and post office.

So, when in 2007, bosses at the Post Office told him the books were £20,000 short, he was adamant that a mistake had been made.

Mr Lloyd Jones, like several other postmasters and mistresses across the country, was victim to a computer error, which led to false figures on the accounts of post offices and the threat of criminal prosecution from the Post Office.

Several were indeed jailed.

Around 18 years ago, the Horizon system, claimed that Mr Lloyd Jones was short of some £20,000, which he had to pay back using credit cards and remortgaging his home otherwise he would face prosecution.

He said: “According to the Post Office's computer system, ( Horizon ) I was short of some £20,000 or so, and to save being prosecuted, I raised the money to repay my so-called shortfall by using credit cards and remortgaging our home.

“It was a very difficult time - not just for me as I was involved in many aspects of public life ( County Council, Police & Crime Panel, Governor of a school, Chair of the local Community Council) and many other bodies, - but certainly for my family who suffered in so many different ways.

“The families of all those wronged Postmasters/Mistresses need to be adequately compensated for all their trauma as well.

“Many have lost their homes, their way of life, their standing in their communities, and members of their families, because of the decisions made my Post Office management, and the way it behaved towards those in need of help, understanding, and sympathy in their hour of great need.

“I have started a Government petition, and a private petition, and have talked to my Member of Parliament, who is going to raise this matter in Westminster in the hope that this Government will see fit to look after the families of all those involved, as well as expediting the payments due to the Post Office employees still waiting for their claims to be sorted.

“Those that caused so much despair and have even lied under oath to cover their tracks are yet to be punished, but the Public Inquiry has now ended, and my hope is that at last there is a light at the end of the very long tunnel that continues to exist.”

Mr Lloyd Jones was adamant that a mistake had been made when he was informed of the shortfall in 2007.

He even asked for auditors to be brought in, which was rejected by Post Office bosses, he says.

He even suggested calling the police in in case money had been stolen from the premises.

Mr Lloyd Jones was involved with Alan Bates, who was knighted last year for taking the fight to the Post Office and was the driving force to an ITV drama that highlighted the plight of postmasters across the country.

He could not continue with the campaign though after his daughter, Liz became ill with cancer and sadly died in 2015 aged just 40 years old.

Alun said: “I was involved with Alan Bates in the beginning but had to take a step back when his daughter became ill and died from cancer in 2015.

“It saddens me that she isn’t alive to see that I have been cleared.

“She knew the stress I was under and I wish she was here now to see that my name has been cleared.

“The stress of the whole situation has taken a toll on my health.

“So much so that I watched the ITV drama from a hospital bed having suffered a heart attack.

“By the end, I had had enough and accepted a deal with them.

“My fight now is that I want the families of postmasters to also receive compensation and an apology from the government and post office.”

His campaign has been supported by former social worker and fellow Ceredigion councillor, Lyndon Lloyd, who said: “I support your feelings that Post Office staff wrongly accused and cleared of any wrongdoing by the courts have suffered greatly by what amounted to overwhelming trauma in their lives.

“It amounts to one of the most offensive scandals in the history of Britain and is a blot on the conscience of the people of Wales and England.

“What has been very often forgotten is the impact of the persecution of staff, leading to loss of employment and penalties had a very important effect on the families of Post Office staff caught up in this injustice.

“Families struggled with the loss of regular income to sustain their children, which is trauma in itself leading to loss of worth, internal family tensions, lasting anxiety leading in many cases to loss of wellbeing causing ill health.

“I feel that these impacts have not been fully realised by the authorities dealing with the need for assistance by families to overcome the trauma caused.

“Data has shown that the greatest element of suffering by innocent postmasters and their families was the social stigma created by criminal convictions, which were ruled false.

“This is one of the hardest barriers to overcome, especially in a rural community, who had the highest respect for the Post Office.

“The ground for compensation in this area (for families) of impact is now very clear and should be accepted by the Government.”

Alun’s campaign has also received the support of local politicians.

Ceredigion MS Elin Jones, said: “I am totally supportive of Alun Lloyd Jones’ campaign to ensure that families affected by the Horizon Post Office scandal are also compensated.

“I know that Alun was personally affected by the scandal and the false accusations and prosecutions by the Post Office.

“However, the trauma and stress of this whole saga has been felt by the families of the victims as well and their suffering also needs to be recognised. It’s time now to complete these compensation cases for both victims and their families so that all those affected can regain peace of mind and move on from this sorry saga”

Ceredigion Preseli MP Ben Lake has also given his support, saying: “It is essential that the victims of the Horizon Post Office scandal are compensated in full, and it is frustrating to read that too many are still awaiting justice.

“It is timely, therefore, for Mr Jones to be presenting this petition, and important that we do not lose sight of the significant harm this scandal inflicted on the families of the victims.

“There should not be any further delay in processing payments, for I am very much of the opinion that justice delayed is justice denied.”

Another postmaster who ended up being jailed was former Gwynedd county councillor, Dewi Lewis.

Dewi Lewis, who ran Siop Dewi in Penrhyndeudraeth, was jailed in 2011 after auditors said they had discovered a £53,000 discrepancy in the books of the village post office at Siop Dewi.

Mr Lewis, who was a senior county councillor with responsibility for the economy in Gwynedd, resigned from his role and paid back the money after his then-84-year-old father remortgaged his house.

He was handed a 16 month jail term, of which he served four months and had to wear a tag for four months.

Following the revelations of the Post Office Horizon scandal, which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters convicted of crimes they had not committed, Mr Lewis has received a letter from the Ministry of Justice, informing him that his 2011 conviction has been quashed.

Speaking to the Cambrian News last year, Mr Lewis said: “It is a vindication and feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, restoring my good name.

“I want to thank the people of Penrhyndeudraeth who have supported me since this happened.

“I continued running the shop which the post office said was failing and retired in March after 45 years.

“I also want to thank Alan Bates, Noel Thomas and the others who fought to clear sub-postmasters’ names.

“I wasn’t involved as the whole situation took a toll on my mental health, but I knew I had done nothing wrong.

“The people have been incredibly supportive of me over the years and I want to say thank you to them and I am just glad it is over and done with.”

On Tuesday, 5 November, Mr Lewis gave evidence to the House of Commons Business Select Committee and alongside Sir Alan Bates and Jill Donnison. They called on the government to ensure compensation is paid urgently.

The UK Government say they are working to secure “full, fair and speedy compensation" for the sub-postmasters. Mr Lewis said he was trying hard not to be cynical, but part of his compensation payment appeared in his account following his House of Commons Committee appearance announcement.

More than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from shop accounts.

Commenting on the timing of a recent £200,000 compensation payment, Mr Lewis said: “Until last week we had no inkling of when we’d even get the initial payment. Lo and behold, it was announced that I was going to be in front of you… surprise surprise, Friday morning, the £200,000 had arrived. I try not to be cynical but I’m finding it very difficult.”

Mr Lewis was told as a councillor he would be arrested and made an example, and was “strongly advised” to plead guilty.

He said his parents had both died since the ordeal, he had gone through a divorce and takes anti-anxiety medication.

Despite his ordeal, he said he was “one of the lucky ones” who served in Her Majesty’s Prison Altcourse.

He felt more for his parents visiting him than he did for himself, but “there were postmasters that had to go through far worse prisons than Altcourse,” he said.

MP Liz Saville Roberts MP said: “Dewi Lewis has suffered immensely because of the Post Office Horizon scandal. So why is Dewi and other former sub-postmasters in his position still having to fight to get the money they are owed?

“From one government to the next, and following a budget, Dewi and others are still fighting. It should be clear and simple for all those sub-postmasters that are still suffering; how much money they are owed, what they need to do to get it, and that nothing is lost on the way.

“I call again on the new government to move ahead with compensation without delay so that victims of the post office scandal can finally draw a line under this injustice and move on with their lives.”

A UK government says it is working to address the suffering of postmasters and was considering further steps to compensate their families.

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Chair of the UK Parliament Business and Trade Committee, has urged the Government to ‘reflect and revise’.

He said: “The new government has made extremely important progress in accelerating redress payment to the victims of the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history.

“But too many are still waiting too long, and former sub-postmasters are still dying before they receive justice. That is wrong.

People who were, over years and years, disbelieved, bankrupt, criminalised, sent to prison, had their lives completely upended for wrongs that they did not commit, have experienced something akin to a second trial as they sought to clear their names and receive redress.

“The Government’s response to our recommendations is a start. But we respectfully ask ministers to listen harder to what the Committee has recommended, reflect again on what we proposed and re-submit its response to the Committee.”

A Post Office spokesperson said it "apologises unconditionally" to the victims and was working with the government to pay compensation as soon as possible.