A SWINDON milkman who has been delivering to customers around the town for the past 34 years has reached the semi-final of a competition to find the ‘milkman of the year’.

Gary Powell, of Haydon Wick, is one of just six milkmen to reach the last but one stage of the contest which saw 10,000 nominations flood in to organisers.

Hearing the news that he had been shortlisted, a delighted Gary said: “I am over the moon.

“As a passionate believer in the importance of the milkman and his place in the community I am thrilled to have been recognised as an ambassador for the industry, and for the passion I have shown for the job throughout my career.

“Being nominated means the world to me.”

While becoming a milkman might not be an obvious career choice for youngsters leaving school these days, for Gary it was something that was in his blood.

“My dad was a milkman when I was young and he really enjoyed the job which is why I followed in his footsteps and became a milkman myself when I left school in 1983.”

34 years on Gary is thrilled with his career choice - not only has it given him professional satisfaction but it had a big impact, early on, in his personal life too.

“If I wasn’t a milkman, I wouldn’t have found my partner of 33 years,” said Gary.

“Her gran was one of my customers and I noticed her watching me from the window as I delivered every day. I met her when I was 17 and we’ve been together ever since.”

Clearly a lot has changed since 1983, from the vehicles used by milkmen to the variety of products they are asked to deliver every day.

The company that Gary now works for, Milk and More, still provides milk and juice in glass bottles but it also offers around 200 other items including eggs, bacon, bread, cereals and yoghurt.

“It’s amazing to see how the service has changed over the years,” he said. “From the products we deliver to how people order.

“It’s been great to see the service respond to the times, and I love the fact that elements of the tradition that people love are still available, like ordering through their milkman or milk in glass bottles.

“I love what I do – I think milkmen and women are ambassadors for our profession and that’s why I started going to local schools to talk about being a milkman six years ago.

I’ve been going into my son’s school in Haydon Wick for years now which they love.

“I still go in to talk to them now – it’s a really great way to make them aware of what we do, especially when we often deliver when they’re still in bed.”

“One of my favourite parts of the job is getting out and meeting the customers and more often than you’d realise, we offer them a helping hand when they need it.

“Whether it’s keeping an eye on them to check they’re okay, to returning a lost mobile phone, to getting help if someone has had a fall.

“But I just see this as part of the job – we serve the community in so many different ways and I love it.”

Gary and his five fellow semi-finalists will find out later this month if they have been successful in clinching the ultimate top spot and securing the title of ‘milkman of the year’.