Can I come shopping with you? Couldn't be arsed to read the whole lot, I tried to help BG on several occasions in past. Never got any sort of thanks mate.
I just gone on to Microsoft Outlook my email program,
I right clicked on email and clicked on ARCHIVE then looked at all folders checked Archive and there was the email i selected :)
Result is whoever supplies your email is irrelevant as long as you keep email program.
oh and if you do delete...
BT Said the same to me I told them to do one, they said they would delete my e.mail account. I left them 2 years later my BT email account is still going. The wanted something like £8 a month for me to keep it, :ohmy::D Tell them you are a vulnerable old person and no way should they do that...