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Former paper boys and girls reunite for newsagent

Katy Prickett
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
Annabel Reddick At least 80 men and women of various ages standing in front of Burrows newsagent in Ely. They are all looking at the camera. Annabel Reddick
The shop's only full-time employee Annabel Reddick (front row far left) was amazed at how many former paper boys and girls responded to the call-out

A man who delivered newspapers in the 1950s has joined more than 80 former paper boys and girls at a reunion for a retiring newsagent.

Burrows opened more than 125 years ago in Ely, Cambridgeshire, but is set to close after its third generation owner Jeff Burrows, 76, decided to retire.

The closure was marked with a call-out on social media to former employees to turn up at the shop at 09:00 BST on Saturday.

Mr Burrow's niece, Annabel Reddick, who works at the shop, said the response was "incredible, I thought we'd get about 15 or 20 if we were lucky".

Jeff Burrows A black and white image showing Burrows newsagent. It has a large plate-glass window and the entry is on the left. In front of the buildings are four billboards, advertising publications including the Daily Telegraph and the post. A bike is resting against its far wall.Jeff Burrows
The business relocated to the High Street in Ely after initially having a shop on the Market Square

"We had at least 80 people turn up, including one girl who now lives in Manchester -and one gentleman who came from Norfolk and said he did his round in the 1950s," she said.

"Many of them wrote down their memories, thanking Jeff and saying it was a great start to their working life."

Annabel Reddick Jeff Burrows who is smiling slightly. He is wearing a grey sweatshirt and is standing at the counter in his shop. Behind him is shelving with various items and piles of files. Annabel Reddick
Jeff Burrows said the shop was closing because it was time to retire - he has worked every day except Christmas Day for 20 years

The cash-only shop opens every day except Christmas, as well as deploying about 20 girls and boys to deliver papers to nearly 700 customers.

Mr Burrows was 25 when he took over the business from his father Percy in 1973 - it was set up by his grandfather James Frederick.

He reckoned that he had employed at least 500 paper boys and girls over the years since, most aged between 13 and 16, whom he described as "good as gold".

Ms Reddick, who opens the shop every day at 05:00 BST, said: "Jeff and my grandad had a tradition of having hot cross buns for the paper boys and girls at Easter - they'd buy big trays of them - so we did the same and served them all buns from Boswell and Son Bakers on Saturday."

Luckily she had bought enough to go round, she added.

Burrows' last day of trading is 26 April and its paper round has been sold to a national company.

Jeff Burrows A fuzzy black and white image of two men and a boy standing outside a newsagent in Ely. The man on the left is wearing a dark coat, flat cap and scarf. The boy in the middle is wearing a school cap, jacket and scarf and is holding up an old broadsheet newpaper. The man on the right is wearing a three piece suit. To his left is the shop window and boards advertising the Daily Express and Morning Post. Jeff Burrows
At one time it delivered papers to more than 2,000 customers, and it is still delivering to about 700 households

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