A VETERAN paperboy from Pewsey completed his last shift on Tuesday to end two years of voluntarily delivering newspapers and raising £4,000 in the process.

Every morning since January 2015, David Benest, 62, has set off from his home in Manningfords at 6am, delivering 30 or so papers, including the Gazette, to the local community.

The retired colonel, who has been awarded an OBE, was convinced to stay on last January and, after completing another year, he feels the time is right to retire from his role and enjoy a nice lie in or two.

“I never thought I would do it for this long but people are so appreciative and as people in Manningfords are getting on a bit, I could not let them travel all the way to Pewsey just to get a paper,” he said.

“However, the newsagent Martin’s in Pewsey have assured us that people will receive their papers in the New Year, which means I can look forward to a longer sleep than usual.

“It has not just been me though. There have been a few others who have stepped in over the last two years if I was not free to do the paper round, so I want to thank them too.

“Sometimes when the sun comes up and it is clear it is a beautiful sight but other times when it is pouring with rain it is not quite as fun. Overall though it has been very worthwhile.”

As residents were so grateful for the service Mr Benest, who lives with his wife Genevieve, provided for two years, more than £4,000 has been raised in aid of the Ulysses Trust which funds expeditions for members of the Volunteer Reserve Forces and Cadet Forces in the UK.

“The support I have received has been fantastic and To raise all this money for a cause that is very close to my heart is a wonderful feeling,” said Mr Benest, who served in the Falklands War and completed five years of operational duty in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1997.

“They are so appreciative and that is why they have donated so much - I really cannot thank them enough.”

His paper round has also been helped by volunteers Robin Gamble, Dick Andrews, Gerry Quincy and David Wheen, known as The Manningford Muskeeters, as three of them are ex-Forces.

The trust was founded in 1992 by Philip Neame from Malmesbury.