Malvern binman Colin Pearce retires after 47 years

Colin Pearce retired last month after nearly five decades as a binman in Malvern.

Mr Pearce is well known around the area, having driven his cage truck to homes both in the town and wider afield for decades.

After his final shift on Good Friday, colleagues treated Mr Pearce to a celebration, with a bottle of champagne and a cake made by a fellow member of staff.

Looking back on his time in the job, he said: "I've enjoyed my job, which makes it all worthwhile.

"I've become known to so many people having collected their waste for years.

"One lady even sent me a card when I retired thanking me for waving to her every day.

"Those things mean a lot to people, especially older people who might not see anyone all day."

Mr Pearce's career started at the old Upton District Council at the age of 19.

WORK: Colin during his time working for the council

Eventually, when the councils merged, he began working for the new Malvern Hills District Council.

For 26 years he drove a cage vehicle, used to collect bin bags from houses in areas the larger bin lorries cannot reach.

This saw him travelling the country lanes of the county, collecting from remote lanes in Suckley and other villages.

His job also saw him tackle a number of other jobs, including odd-jobs for people he collected from and even clearing snow during particularly bad winters.

He added: "During the winter of either '83 or '84 we were asked to use the lorries to help clear snow.

"I was up at the top of Church Street helping direct traffic and when the police turned up to help, they told me to carry on and vanished!"

Another fond memory of his time in the job was during one snowy winter when he and his colleagues would ski off the back of their lorry.

Having reached 65, Mr Pearce decided to call it a day, retiring to his home in Orford Way with his wife Patricia.

When asked what he will do in retirement, he said: "The only plan I made was to have no plan.

"You never know what might come up, so I'll take each day as it comes."

He also thanked all the people who had wished him the best and those who had given him cards and presents in his retirement.

Vic Allison, chief executive at Malvern Hills District Council said: "Working with us for 47 years is a remarkable achievement, and the service Colin has provided to our residents has been outstanding.

"We thank Colin for all his many years of hard graft and commitment, and we wish him all the very best in his retirement."