IT'S the end of an era as popular craftsman, Trevor Brown, is retiring after nearly 60 years working at his shoe repair business in Henry Street. He will finally close the door on December 31st, a few months short of his 80th birthday.

Mr Brown started the business in 1955 with two friends, Alfred Hall and Bert Trotman, after they had been made redundant from a local shoe manufacturing and repair company, Milwards.

For the first year they covered Gloucester, Monmouth and Chepstow, collecting repairs and filling a gap following the closure of the company. They also employed a number of women drivers, who used to collect the goods.

When Mr Trotman died, the remaining partners decided that they could no longer do all the repairs required. Instead they decided to concentrate on the Ross area, with Mrs Hall dealing with customers.

After the Halls retired Mr Brown worked on alone, perfecting a particular way of repairing not only boots and shoes but all kinds of leather goods. "I always found the most difficult jobs to do were shoes that had been chewed up by dogs!" he recalled.

He attended Ross Grammar School and did three years national service in Egypt, where he did office work. It was while doing night shifts in the Forest of Dean that he was told of the Milward job by a neighbour.

He kept greyhounds as pets and even used to race them. A great fan of cinema he can usually answer most questions on films, especially musicals.As one customer commented: "Mr Brown will be sorely missed. His skills are quite unique in a town like Ross."

For more stories in full please see this week's Ross Gazette.