Bristol's oldest paperboy celebrates turning 90

ONE of Britain's oldest paperboys is celebrating his 90th birthday with a well deserved weekend off.

Local legend Stan White has been getting up at the crack of dawn six days a week to deliver papers for his local newsagent for the past 26 years.

Such is his dedication that Mr White, who still rides his bike to carry out the deliveries, received a "news deliverers' merit award" at the National Federation of Retail Newsagents awards in London in October 2011.

That award followed hot on the heels of a trophy he was presented with by his boss Teresa Anderson presented to mark 25 years of service Good News in Downend.

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But for once he is taking Saturday, also his birthday, off so friends and family can come and visit him at his Queensholm Crescent home.

He told The Post: "I have got friends coming from Plymouth and Taunton to visit and it is my 90th birthday so I have taken the day off. It will be nice to have a long weekend."

Before Mr White was a paperboy he is very proud he worked for 47 years as a train driver for GWR and then British Rail.

"If you work on the railways for 47 years you have no problem with early starts," he said.

"I'm usually awake and ready to go before my alarm goes off just before 6am."

While still one of the fittest pensioners out there Mr White admits he has come off his bike a few times recently.

"It's usually when I get stuck in traffic and people are dropping their school kids off," he said.

"Sometimes I come to a stop and there is nowhere to put my feet. Kids normally rush over and pick me up."

Despite his increasing years Mr White says he has no intentions of stopping his job.

"I will keep going until I don't have the strength to keep going anymore," Mr White said.

"Why would I? I enjoy it and seem to have become a bit of a local celebrity. It's a good incentive to get up in the morning, and I like to feel I am doing something worthwhile."

Showing he still loves a joke he added his favourite railway joke: "Why don't engines like sitting down? Because of their tender behind."

Boss Mrs Anderson, who inherited Mr White when she started running the shop 16 years ago, said: "He is wonderful. It doesn't matter what the weather is like - he is always here - you can set your watch by him in the morning.

"I can only think of him being off sick about three days in all the time I have been here. He is very reliable.

"He has a lot of friends on his round and has built up a good rapport. Quite a lot of them will make him a cuppa if it's cold in the morning. On Saturday's I think he might even get a bacon sandwich. He is a local celebrity."