"We can't imagine life without him" Village milkman celebrates 70 years on the job

There aren't many in the village of Holcot in Northamptonshire who don't know Tony Moulds - he's been the local milkman for seven decades, working from six am, six days a week for seventy years.

And despite all the cold and early mornings over the years, the 85-year-old has no intention of stopping any time soon. "I don't like going out at nights now but I don't really mind the mornings at all, which sounds ridiculous.

"When I left school I worked on a farm in the village and did the milk round and I used to go round with a bucket and a ladle and put it in people's jugs. It was only in 1953 that all milk had to be sold in sealed containers and we went back to bottles."

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Tony started his milk round when he was just fifteen and a pint of milk cost two and a half pence.

"When I started, we were delivering to virtually everyone in Holcot but now some of the older people have died and the younger wives work and drive and can call in for a pint of milk anywhere these days so they don't need my services as much anymore."

"But it keeps me active and I do like to see everyone. This village is my life."

And according to Lesley Pomeroy, one of Tony's fifty customers, the village feels the same way.She says Tony is so much more than just the bringer of milk and a symbol of a new day; he is part and parcel of Holcot life, and a friend to everyone who lives there.

"He is always looking out for people and talking to people and he's helped so many people over the years, whether they're facing family problems or have people falling ill and he has been there for people when maybe there isn't anybody else. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that. It's hard to imagine life without him, really. It's an amazing achievement."