A POPULAR Herefordshire postman is set to retire this week after over 43 years on the same round.
Paul Higgins has been delivering the mail in the villages of Much Birch, Llanwarne and Harewood End, between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye, since he started at Royal Mail in 1978.
His last day will be Friday, June 10, where he will start at Hereford's sorting office, before heading out to the south Herefordshire villages for one final time.
During his time as a postman in the area, he has not only delivered the mail to the people of his round but he has also often been known to check in on vulnerable and lonely residents during extreme weather events and the Covid pandemic, even helping to deliver prescriptions in some cases.
Mr Higgins out delivering in the snow in the late 1980s.
The people of Llanwarne invited Mr Higgins and his family along to their jubilee party on Sunday and presented the postman with a special leaving gift.
Mr Higgins has already received dozens of cards and gifts thanking him for his long service to the rural community.
Speaking at the event Mr Higgins said that he was going to be incredibly sad to leave after so many years.
He also said that he didn't see delivering the mail in the area as a job because of the many friends he has made, all of whom he would miss very much.