Ravensthorpe window cleaner retiring after almost 40 years

For almost all of his working life, Mick Tate has been cleaning the windows of houses, shops and factories in Ravensthorpe.

But now, at the age of 67, he has decided to cut down on the amount of work he takes on and ease his way into retirement.

“When you get to my age, you can’t fly up and down a ladder like you used to at 27,” he said.

Mr Tate, of Queen Street, Mirfield, first took over the window cleaning business from a family friend, Walter Barker, in 1974.

“He was a wonderful character,” Mr Tate said.

“He was retiring and said, would I like to take over.

“I worked at ICI at the time, and I didn’t particularly like it, so I worked with Walter for 12 months and the rest is history.”

Mr Tate grew up in Ravensthorpe and is still known to many of the children who live on his window cleaning round as ‘Mr Mick’.

He spent many years playing football and rugby with amateur teams in the area and still goes crown green bowling in Lower Hopton.

He hopes to use his retirement to spend more time travelling and visiting his son, Daniel.

“My son recently moved to Canada,” Mr Tate said.

“My wife Brenda and I have just been out there, and I would like to go back.”

Mr Tate still plans to work occasional shifts, but he will be winding down over the next few months.

“I’m still fit enough to work a couple of mornings a week, which I intend to do, but a lot of my work has now gone,” he said.