Barrow: Man retires from one of UK's longest paper rounds at 70 years

Joe Wardman, 82, has finally hung up his bicycle clips after delivering his very last paper to the White Lion pub in Mount Pleasant, Barrow.

Joe ran Wardman's Newsagents on Ramsden Street for 52 years until he retired in 2011 but continued to help get news to people - often getting on his bike at 5am.

He remains heavily involved in the community which has rightly earned him the title of a 'local legend'. 

In 2011, Joe was pictured holding a copy of the first Evening Mail document he delivered when he was a school boy (Image: Newsquest)

The dad-of-two and grandad-of-one is chair of the governors for Greengate Junior School after being involved in the school for 36 years.

He was also involved with Parkview School for seven years and in the last year was vice chairman of governors and an integral part in the building of the new £22m Furness Academy.

He is currently chairman of the Furness and District Bowling League, has been treasurer of Salthouse Bowling Club since 1976 and is former chairman of the Senior Citizens Bowling League.

Joe Wardman with his sister, Cheryl Draper (Image: The Wardman family) On choosing this year to retire from his round, Joe said: "Well I'd done my 70 years and I thought there's nothing else I can achieve with it now. 

"Part of the decision was because of all the recent storms, heavy rain and winds, but I'm still fit and involved in all my work in town.

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"It's proved to be a good decision too because the young lad who has taken over is doing a really good job.

"He does the round on an electric bike so he's in his glory." 

As one of nine siblings who all helped out delivering the papers, Joe began his part in the papers at the age of four.

His dad, Richard Wardman, also delivered papers until he died in 1964.

Richard 'Dick' Wardman on one of his carrier bikes with his second son Terry (Image: The Wardman family) It was when Joe's older brother was called for National Service in 1951 that Joe fully embraced the role.

After leaving school in 1959, Joe went into the business fully during the printers' strike.

He remembers when there were two daily editions of the Evening Mail and when the paper cost just 1p.

He recalls many major historical events, both locally and nationally, that occurred during his time in getting the news out to people.

"I used to deliver to the navy," Joe said, "and remember the HMS Dreadnought submarine being built.

"I used to deliver to the crew on the Larne Ferry when there was no proper health and safety. That involved me climbing up a ladder onto the ship with people watching me.

Joe Wardman celebrating his 50th anniversary of delivering the North-West Evening Mail at Wardmans Newsagents in 2005 (Image: Newsquest)

"I'd look down at the water petrified and think 'Jesus!' and they'd pull me on board.

"There was the Queen's Coronation in 1953, all the Royal Visits to Barrow, the first Britons to conquer Everest, the famous Lady in the Lake case - all kinds.

"In the 1960s, there was a real increase in readers as absolutely everyone wanted to read about The Beatles and the Rolling Stones."

Joe raised money for St Mary's Hospice Furness Motor Neurone Disease Association on his 80th birthday (Image: Joe Wardman) Joe saw the effect television had on print news but said The Mail was still always a must for locals to have.

He said the paper was unique unlike other titles and it was always the newsagents that went directly to the wholesalers to collect the papers.

Joe added: "I love the paper, the town and the people in it - I guess that's why I'm a workaholic.

"Over the years I've climbed through windows when people have been locked out, put eye drops in for pensioners when they've been on their own, climbed into cellars to put a shilling in gas metres.

"I love my customers and I've always spoken to them like they're one of my family."