Arthur, 96, retires after 55 years

Athur Ellis, aged 96, ran his bedding stall on Fleetwood Market for an amazing 55 years.

There was no early retirement for Arthur - he loved working at the Adelaide Street mark all through his sixties, seventies, eighties and much of his nineties.

But all good things come to an end and Arthur has finally decided to call it a day, after mounting a final half-price sale before he hung up his hat.

On the final afternoon of work at the market on Saturday, staff and fellow market traders presented him with gifts and a cake and staged a special buffet.

Julian Brent, market manager at Fleetwood, said: “I have been at this market 11 years and Arthur is the nicest trader I have ever worked with.

“He was a typical gentleman trader, he just got on with things and always made money, but he was nice with it and was a very popular figure here.

“He always joked that when he woke up in the morning and pushed out his arms, as long as he wasn’t in a wooden box, he was alright!”

Arthur ran market stalls all over the North West but gradually closed them when he got older - all except for his beloved Fleetwood stall, which was his favourite.

Leicester-born Arthur, originally one of 10 children, lives in South Shore, Blackpool.

He said: “I’ve loved being on the market.

“I was not one to sit at home and watch TV all day, going to the market gave me an incentive.

“I liked it all - going to Manchester to pick up the stock, coming into the market here and seeing all the traders and my regulars.”

Arthur, who was married to the late Alice, has a son and daughter and several grandchildren.