One of Shropshire's oldest family butchers celebrating 40 years
One of Shropshire's oldest family butchers is celebrating its 40th anniversary in business.
Gordon Badley and his son Keith opened G. N. Badley & Sons, in Gibbons Road, Trench, in March 1976.
And the shop has been serving customers ever since.
Keith sadly passed away in 2011 but today the family tradition still continues as it is now Simon Badley, Keith's son, and Kay Badley, Keith's widow, who run the business.
Simon, who now heads the family enterprise as managing director, believes family butchers can still compete with and survive the competition from supermarket giants.
His father and grandfather initially launched a wholesale and catering focused company with butcher and catering establishments throughout the West Midlands,.
But in 2000, Keith began to take a more retail focus and soon established a reputation as a reliable family butcher.
The website launched in 2012 with an online shop, which has allowed the business to expand with customers stretching from London to Scotland.
Despite the demise of many family businesses Mr Badley is confident for the future of small butchers.
He said: "The fact we are celebrating our 40th anniversary shows just how strong we are.
"We remain loyal to our customers and we recognise what they need. We know that people like a personal touch, which supermarkets cannot offer.
"We give advice on the right cut, how to cook the meat, what works well for different recipes and all that is knowledge is lacking from a supermarket counter."
Mr Badley said he and his mother were proud to have continued his father's legacy.
He said: "After my father died in 2011, we wanted to carry on the business. It was hard but it was so important to us and we want to continue to move the business forward and make it grow.
"We pride ourselves on offering the customer the easiest experience for them and we will continue to look for ways to improve this."
