Fond farewell to town’s traders

Chris and Christine Stainburn, owners of Batley DIY Centre in Commercial Street, will hang up their tool belts after 29 years in charge.

The couple took over the shop in 1985 and Mr Stainburn said they hadenjoyed every minute of working in the town.

“It is the staff you work with and the customers that make it such a special job,” he said.

“We have made lots of friends over the years and we want to thank our loyal customers for supporting us.”

Castleford-born Mr Stainburn has worked in the DIY trade for more than 35 years.

Looking back at his time in Batley, he said it had seen a lot of changes over the years.

“Hillards were the main supermarket in town and Woolworths were still a force on the high street,” he said.

“Things have changed but there is still a strong support for specialists shops.”

The couple will hand over the reigns to James Elliot, who Mr Stainburn believes can take the shop to the next level.

He said: “We are sure it will go from strength to strength and he will help bring the shop into the 21st century.”

Despite looking forward to his retirement, Mr Stainburn insisted he was not quite ready to give up his passion for DIY.

He said: “We are planning to go on a few holidays but retirement will also give me more time to do some DIY around the house.

“When you work five or six days a week, you do not always get the time to do as much as you would like.”