Chorley trader hangs up his hard hat as he bids farewell to the markets and his customers after a decade of service

Many customers old and new flocked to Chorley Markets on Saturday to say goodbye to Paul Bentley who has traded from The Workwear stall for the last decade and has been keeping the good people of Chorley and further afield in safety boots, bodywarmers and highly-visible clothing. Paul, who has been in the work wear trade for over 30 years, told the Post he will be sad to leave but that rising costs had left him with no other choice.

He said: “It took me a few years to build up trust and a customer base as when you are on the markets you can be seen as a bit of a Del Boy. I have gained a lot of regular customers that come to the stall that know exactly what they want and we have a bit of banter with people. Some just come for the chat as it is the social aspect of some people’s life just being here.

"It’s going to be really sad to leave. It’s the end of an era as it was one of the last work wears set up in Chorley district now. The market has been an absolute wonderful place. It feels bitter as I feel like I am letting people down. We all know each other all the customers, all the traders and staff. It’s a proper sense of community round here.”

Speaking of his decision to leave, he added: “It’s quite a shame really as quite a lot of stall holders have suffered with the cost of living as taking go down which can take you from being a sole trader to comfortable living to just having enough to live on and that’s been the main reason that I am leaving. It will be sad if things go downhill on the market as it is a pretty unique one. People come to Chorley because we have still got a proper market here. It really is part of Chorley so long may it continue. People travel as far as Wigan to visit us. I would like to wish the staff and traders the absolute best for the future. The markets are a part of Chorley.”

Paul will now be focussing his work attention on an online Workwear business which he hopes his customers will join at Chorleyworkwear.co.uk.