Businessman has no intention of 'fading away' after closing part of his 55-year-old firm

Mr Evans, who will be 70 in January, started working for Cyril Bason delivering poultry to local farms when he was aged 14.

At the start of his long career, he was paid £2 a week but ended up being able to buy his own house and eventually then the business.

He remortgaged his house to buy the business from Cyril Bason in 1992.

"It happened to be the right time and the bank manager agreed!" said Mr Evans.

"We will be making final deliveries on Tuesday," said Mr Evans, who has been married to Wendy for 45 years. "We will then clean out the sheds and hand them back to the farmer we have been renting from.

"I have mixed feelings about it but it is also about my health. I have been having health issues. So I decided, sat on a hospital bed, to base myself at the shop.

"It will be much less stress. I will be able to close up at 5.30 and forget about it, without having to worry about feeding the birds and looking after the livestock.

"I have enjoyed the first 55 years, it has been good to me, and sad that I am closing the poultry side but we have still got the shop."

Mr Evans also said that bird flu had a big impact on the business, along with changes to the make up of the industry. But his busiest time came during the pandemic, when people were buying poultry to keep at home to have their own supply of eggs.

"I still have a passion for poultry," he added. "I will be keeping a few birds in my back garden."

He said he has received many thank-yous from people he has worked with in the poultry business over the years, and can help them with finding alternative suppliers if they need that.

Mr Evans is also looking forward to serving another term as a county councillor. He currently represents Church Stretton and Craven Arms ward and chairs the Southern Planning Committee.

"There is an election in 2025 and I intend to stand again because there are projects coming up. I also enjoy helping people."

People have been going to the shop for a coffee and a chat about local issues.

He agrees that he is a bit of an Arkwright, of Ronnie Barker open all hours fame, in that people will often go into the shop to talk about council issues and end up buying something from the shop.

"The hardware business in Craven Arms is good because we are miles from big outlets in Shrewsbury and Leominster, and we are prominent in the town.

"We don't really compete against the internet because if someone wants a bag of nails they want it today and don't want to wait for it."

The shop boasts a "massive range of household items" including kitchenware, cookware, cleaning products, small electricals, light bulbs, pet feed and supplies, paraffin, paint and decorating supplies, tools, gardening products, bins, ladders, compost and fertiliser, flower and vegetable seeds, nails, screws, all ironmongery and general hardware.

They also do key cutting, wallpaper stripper rental, carpet cleaner rental, fertiliser spreader rental, tool sharpening and handle replacements.

Mr Evans says retirement isn't on his radar at the moment.

"The last thing I want to do is sit in a chair and fade away," he said. He and wife Wendy have two adult children and four grandchildren to keep them occupied, too.

Mr Evans was also keen to praise the staff at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for his recent treatment for heart issues.

"They have been fantastic for me in the last 10 weeks," he said. "Nothing has been too much trouble and I have been treated like Royalty."

But now he is looking forward to the next chapter of his working life and to plunging himself back into the local community in his Church Stretton and Craven Arms ward.