Whittle Le Woods man, William Wright Staples, believed to be Lancashires oldest man and will be 108 in December

William Wright Staples will be 108 in December this year and his best bit of advice is to ‘keep people on their toes with a bit of mischief in your life.’

As a youngster he lived in Shaw near Oldham and often worked in the Mills with his older sisters. William then went on to live in Birmingham, working at the Bakerlite Factory.

William then went on to live in Horwich where he was a hairdresser for a while.

Meeting his wife and the love of his life, Doreen, whom he was separated from during the war, he joined the RAF and was stationed in Possilpark, Glasgow.

William would hitch a lift back to Lancashire to see her whenever he could and it was during the war they married in a simple ceremony. In his younger years, he courted Doreen at the Winters Gardens in Blackpool and has many fond memories of this time.

Throughout his working life, William’s main passion was owning his shop 'Staples' until he retired in his 70's. He also loves to fish and fly fishing was his passion and would often travel with his friends to near Tebay to have a day of catching an ite and chatting.

Bill was always active, climbing trees and doing both press ups and sit ups into his 90s, he was one day found in a hospital on the floor by his consultant doing his daily exercises, shocking them completely with his fitness and strength.

Up until age 101 when Doreen passed away, he was her carer. Then until William was 105 he lived alone pottering around his village on the outskirts of Chorley, however he is now a popular resident at a care home in Whittle Le Woods and continues to surprise everyone with his witty sense of humour.

William’s best piece of advice is to ‘Keep people on their toes with a bit of mischief in your life.’