The final bell: End of an era for Telford ice cream man after 49 years

Ian Finazzi is the third generation of his family to be in the ice cream business, and has been driving a van for as long as he's had a licence.

But after 49 years, he's pulled his last soft serve and is looking forward to dropping the long hours and spending more time with his family.

Ian, from Madeley, said it had been a fantastic job, and that his customers had become like friends.

"It's in my blood," the 66-year-old said. "It's not just a job, it's a way of life.

"The hours are anti-social – I start at 9.30am and don't finish until 9pm, and that's six days a week, or seven if the sun is blazing hot. How my wife has put up with me all these years I'll never know.

"I've made some fantastic friends. They were more than customers. I've done the same run for 37 years and people can set their clocks by me."

For nearly five decades, Ian has been starting his day in Ketley Bank, travelling through Oakengates, Priorslee, Trench, Donnington and Overdale and then returning to Ketley Bank.

He's become a welcome fixture in each of the towns and families he has known for generations have given him cards and gifts to celebrate his retirement.

"I've been overwhelmed with good wishes," he said.

Friends

"Monday was the first day since 1949 that there hasn't been a Finazzi in the ice cream business.

"I'm lucky I've had loyal customers. I've seen other vans come into the area, I've seen them come and go, but the customers have been loyal to me.

"I have so many memories. I've been at christenings and then done weddings for them once they've grown up. There's been so many memories – it's hard to pick just one."

He said a lot had changed in the 50 years he had been an ice cream man, but the key things had stayed the same.

"Things have changed tremendously," he said. "The supermarkets have hit us hard. If it wasn't for soft serve ice cream, I don't know where we would be.

"It was about 50 per cent ice cream, 50 per cent lollies when I started. Now it's more like 10 per cent lollies. The market has changed. Now there's people coming in with different things. There's the trays that some of the boys are trying.

"The product hasn't changed though. The machinery hasn't really. They've updated little bits and pieces, but they're basically exactly the same. They're still after the soft ice cream. Without that the ice cream trade would be dead."

Ian has been a familiar face around Telford for decades – even when the colder weather hits.

"A lot of people pack it in, but I used to carry on," he said. "I used to get the customers even in the cold weather. I still went out and took money, not as much, but the way I looked at it was every pound I took was a pound not coming out of the savings.

"That ball in the sky makes all the difference. This year has been a good year, with the hot spell early on. It was a good year to end on."

Father-of-three Ian will now spend time with his wife and his family.

With five grandchildren and another on the way, he is looking forward to being able to spend more time with them.

"I'm going to get a bit of rest and relaxation," he said. "I've got my garden. There are no plans, I just want to enjoy things. My wife and I haven't seen a lot of each other, so we're going to spend some time together."