Final round for milkman Steve after 40 years delivering in Shifnal
A town's much-loved milkman has delivered his last bottle after more than 40 years of doing the rounds.
Steve Smallwood, of Wellington, has delivered milk to three generations of families in and around Shifnal.
After 43 years on the job, the 65-year-old has completed his last shift for Whitecroft Dairy and was met by customers and friends to say their farewells.
Speaking about the prospect of his last shift, Mr Smallwood said: "I don't think it's really sunk in yet. It has felt like a normal day and a normal shift, but once I hand in the van and sign off I think I'll realise it then.
"It's quite sad to be leaving after all this time, in a way the job has become like a second home to me.
"I'll miss seeing all the local faces that I've come to know over all these years."
The Shifnal milkman said he had only intended to be in the job for little over a month.
"My plan was to become a milkman for six weeks," he said.
"I thought it was hard work so I would look for something else, but I just carried on and here I am 43 years later. "
At his busiest periods, Mr Smallwood delivered to up to 750 houses per day.
"It was easier then than it is now" he added.
"I used to deliver to pretty much every house one after another, but now it's spread out all over the place.
"On the first day we had snow this year, my eight hour shift took me 18 hours – by the time I got home and had breakfast it was pretty much time to go back to work again.
"But I've never missed a day's work from bad weather, if the people of Shifnal were expecting their milk delivered, they would always get it."
Mr Smallwood has been a prominent figure within the town, having also paraded his milk float at Shifnal Carnival on multiple occasions.
Steve's former supervisor and work colleague, Paul Nicholls, of Shifnal, said: "The amount of days off he has had you can count on one hand.
"He's done everybody in Shifnal a huge service and there's no doubt he'll be missed around the town.
"I think they might lose trade without him around, people loved seeing a familiar face delivering, and customers would keep getting deliveries if they knew Steve would be the one making them."
