A farewell handshake for a man who thinks and loves newspaper. Left to right: Mr Nightingale, Mr Marsden and Mr Whalley.

When 65-year-old Jim Whalley left school, aged 14, he started work at four in the morning and finished at nine in the evening - hard, but Jim loved every minute of it. For Jim got a job in the circulation department of the now defunct newspaper "The Daily Dispatch" based in Manchester and as he says, "I think the printing ink must have flown through my veins." He took home £5 a week, which was quite a lot 50 years ago, but didn't get much time to spend it, for he worked seven days a week. He worked 14 years with the paper working his way up to assistant manager of the circulation department.

Mr Whalley remembers the great days of the Manchester newspapers with publications such as the "Daily Sketch," "Empire News" and "News Chronicle." But then the recession came in the newspaper world and he left the Dispatch shortly before it folded up. He then had several jobs including working for a wholesale newsagents and a hardware and fancy goods factory. Then 13 years ago he returned to newspapers and got a job as a van driver and packer with the "Burnley Express." Which, he said, goes to prove, "Once you get into newspapers you've always got to go back to them." On Thursday, 1st April 1976, Jim, of Surrey Avenue, retired, and was presented with a watch by the newspaper's general manager, Mr K. Nightingale, on behalf of Express employees. Also at the presentation was Mr Albert Marsden, works manager. Jim is looking forward to his retirement and plans to spend his time gardening, reading and going for drives with his wife, Nellie, a retired midwife.