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Each Monday morning at seven o’clock, the village of Little Weighton in East Yorkshire awakens to the steady footsteps of a paperboy who is anything but typical. Clad in a fluorescent orange high-vis vest and carrying a bright yellow bag marked “Mail,” Colin Bradley meanders through the thick morning fog to deliver newspapers. Unlike most paperboys, Colin doesn’t head off to school when his round is done – he’s 79 years old, a fact that never seems to slow him down.
Colin’s journey to becoming a paperboy came later in life. Before taking on the paper round about ten years ago, he spent his working years as a farm laborer and lorry driver. He stepped into the role initially by chance, covering for two boys on holiday. When neither of them returned, Colin permanently took over the job. His wife, Freida, was initially surprised at his late start, joking about his age: “Do you realise how old you are to start doing a paper round?” Despite this, Colin embraced the job wholeheartedly. “There’s nothing I don’t like about the job,” he said in his distinct Yorkshire accent. “If I get wet, I get wet. I just don’t like wearing waterproofs, ‘cos you sweat too much.”
The number of papers Colin delivers has dropped since he began. “When I first started, I used to do 94 papers. I don’t now,” he admits, indicating the noticeably lighter load. Even so, his route still takes him about an hour to complete, and his speed is remarkable for someone his age. On the street, he stops at each doorstep, making sure the paper is pushed fully through the letterbox to keep out drafts. Dog encounters are part of the job, but Colin has so far avoided any bites, attributing the dogs’ wariness to his bright vest and bag. He recalls a particular farm where removing his vest meant the dogs left him alone, but wearing it made them growl.
Little Weighton has been home to Colin all his life. Born in a farm cottage near the village shop, he has deep roots in the community. He worked on a pig farm, which has now become a care home where his late wife, Freida, worked for over two decades. Sadly, Freida passed away last July after 35 years of marriage, and Colin also lost his brother in October – leaving just two remaining siblings in the Bradley family of seven. While he enjoys the physical activity and the opportunity to meet new people during his rounds, Colin does express concern about speeding traffic in the village, especially near the school and care home. Despite this, he remains active, juggling his paper round six days a week with helping at a local slimmers’ club and tending to seven gardens. He jokes about his earnings from gardening, saying, “One old lady pays me with a pint mug of tea and two slices of toast.” When asked about retiring from paper delivery, Colin laughs, “No… I’m gonna stop when I can’t walk, or ‘somert’ like that.” The shop owner, Mark, encourages him to keep going for as long as possible, and Colin doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon
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