A COUPLE who have run a paper shop in Whitchurch for 35 years are set to retire.

After opening The Old Paper Shop in Whitchurch at 5.30am every day for the past 35 years, Jitty and Bansi Hunjan are retiring on November 5. The couple has enjoyed their years in the town and are sad to leave but decided the time was right.

Both Jitty and Bansi, who have been married for 47 years, were born in East Africa; Jitty came to England as a young man in the 1970s, heading straight to London, whilst Bansi emigrated with her family at the age of 10 and settled in Coventry.

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Theirs was an arranged marriage; their wedding took place in Coventry after which they moved to London, where their son and daughter were born.  They ran a paper shop, a business not dissimilar to The Old Paper Shop, in north London for seven years before deciding to relocate to Hampshire to raise their family away from city life.

They took over The Old Paper Shop from Jitty’s brother and sister-in-law, who had run it for five years, so it was very much a case of keeping it in the family. However, neither their son (who lives in London and has two children) nor their daughter (who has lived and worked in Dubai for many years) wanted to continue the family tradition.

Bansi said: "We have been open from 5.30am–5.30pm six days a week and until 12 noon on Sundays. We have been lucky enough to have been supported by wonderful staff over the years which has enabled us to take afternoons off and take holidays. We are particularly grateful to the long-serving Phillis Moyes and Dawn Randel, as well as Sue Lyall, Anne Hale and the late Gwen Driver and Patrick Thornton. Special thanks go to our most recent assistant, Hazel Rose. We thank them all for their hard work and dedication."

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Many people, including those in outlying villages, know Jitty as their paperboy as he has been doing a paper round for well over 30 years.

Residents will also remember George Bone, who was their paperman for many years, and to whom Jitty and Bansi extend their thanks  – as well as all the young paperboys and papergirls who have got up early seven days a week to deliver newspapers over the past three and a half decades.

He added: "It has been wonderful to see those young people grow up and later come into the shop with their own children."

The couple, who live in the nearby village of Oakley, has seen many changes in Whitchurch during their 35 years.

Bansi said it has been their loyal customers and the friendliness of people of the town – including other local businesses – who have made them feel very much part of the community.

They will continue to live in Oakley so will still be coming to Whitchurch and hope to continue to see the people they know for many years to come.

One of the first things they want to do is visit their daughter in Dubai, which they have not done since before the start of Covid. Beyond that, they plan to continue to keep fit by going to the gym and enjoying long walks.

When they close the door to The Old Paper Shop for the final time, they will be sad to leave but will be taking with them many happy memories and wish the new owners much success.