A long-standing Bradford army surplus store owner has decided to sell up after being diagnosed with cancer.

Charles Summerscales, 74, ran the family firm Summerscales Army Surplus in Thornton Road, Fairweather Green, for about 30 years, before shutting up shop.

The store was an institution in the area, even helping children learn about history by supplying Second World War memorabilia to schools, he said.

Mr Summerscales had a stall at Skipton market selling tools and ironmongery, before deciding to focus on army surplus goods and open the Bradford shop. “It took off and we have been quite successful ever since,” he said.

“We are quite well known in the area and we had a lot of regular customers who came from far and wide to see us.

“We still get calls every day and we have to tell them the sad news that we have had to close.”

Mr Summerscales is receiving treatment for his illness and faces an operation in the next couple of months, leaving him and his wife Betty feeling unable to carry on with the business.

He said the shop will be sold as a going concern, with army surplus stores retaining their appeal even as city centres across the country are suffering.

  • Read the full story in Thursday's T&A