Come rain or shine, Paul Littlefair has delivered post to 800 houses in the village for just over two decades, racking up his steps with more than five hours of walking each day.
The 60-year-old delivered his last letter earlier this month and is now looking forward to his retirement and spending time with his wife, Gill.
Mr Littlefair, who lives in Toronto, said: “I will miss the people in Evenwood the most.
“The day I left lots of people came out to see me and said I will be missed. It is really nice when people say that. It has been a big part of my life.
“I have seen people grow up, go to school and now they have their own children going to school. I would like to thank everyone for putting up with me over the years.”
Mr Littlefair, who grew up in the Bishop Auckland area, had worked at Chamberlain Philips Wallpaper Factory and Durham County Council before trying his hand at drystone walling. However, a career as a Royal Mail postman was something which later took his fancy. He said: “I was looking for work. I had tried various places. This was the type of work I wanted to do. I like working outside in the fresh air and the exercise.”
Mr Littlefair joined the Royal Mail team in Darlington in May 1993 but was transferred to the Bishop Auckland base in 1994 where he was assigned to the Evenwood postal round.
He said: “I have enjoyed it because I have got to know the people in the village. They are very friendly. I have really enjoyed talking to everyone.
“It is difficult to say what I have loved most about the job. I have just enjoyed doing it. I loved the social side. You make a lot of new friends doing the job.”
During the past two decades, Mr Littlefair has seen many changes while delivering on his round. He said: “The job has changed a lot since I started.
“You started early and you finished early. I never used to have a van. I used to get a lift up to the village and drop my bags off at different places such as the school.
“I would get the bus back when I’d finished delivering. It just shows you how the number of parcels has gone up because you couldn’t manage to carry everything now. You did not even have a quarter of the parcels you have to deliver now. There was no internet back then.
“Letters have gone down too. There were never a lot of personal letters though even when I started – it has always been business letters.”
Mr Littlefair has had to cope with the odd dog bite and snow disruption on his rural route but nothing was ever enough to put him off.
He said: “I could have got other rounds but I chose to stay at Evenwood. I just loved the people and their friendliness. Other villages often have a few different postmen but for a long time I was the only postman there.”
It was Mr Littlefair’s friendly and helpful nature, which saw him going above and beyond to help residents, that helped him become a much-loved part of village life.
He said: “I always looked out for people. If they weren’t in for a parcel I would find them in the village later or find someone who I knew was related. It saved them going an extra six miles to the sorting office and it saved me taking them back too. It made life easier for everyone and I knew that was what people would want.”
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