THIS month marks 35 years since Peter Wilkinson first picked up the clippers at his Barnoldswick barber's shop, and he has no intention of putting them down just yet.

Now 55, Peter still remembers his first customer at the little shop in Church Street - and still cuts his hair.

"Ken Newbould was my first customer and he still comes in for his haircut. I have a lot of customers who've been coming since I started, so I must be doing something right!"

Nowadays most new hairdressers qualify at college, but when Peter left school it took a formal three-year apprenticeship to qualify, in common with most other skilled jobs. It meant some time in college but most was spent learning "on the job".

Peter served his apprenticeship at a hairdressers in Manchester then spent a year working in Colne before taking on the Barnoldswick shop.

"When I left school I was going to be a baker in my mum's confectionery business, but I saw an advert for hairdressing and I thought 'that looks an easy job, standing around all day chatting to customers'. I talked to my dad and he said people would always need their hair cutting so that's how I got into it."

He got his own head start when he was offered a corner storeroom of the family confectionery business in Church Street to set up as a shop. It was just big enough for a one-man barbershop and his dad, a self-employed joiner, did the conversion work.

"It means I haven't had to pay rent to anyone for all these years so that gave me an advantage," said Peter.

Now he is one of the town's longest established businesses and its last remaining traditional men's barbershop.

"The biggest change I've seen in 35 years has been the growth of unisex salons," he said. "When I started out all the men went to the barbers and the ladies went to their hairdressers. There was no unisex really."

That change has made traditional barbers something of a dying breed, but Peter has lots of loyal customers to keep him busy in his little shop. He has also seen dads bring in their sons for their first haircut, watched the sons grow up and eventually cut their sons' hair too.

Peter is also well known for his running and is as keen on the sport today as when he started 30 years ago.

"I used to play a lot of squash, but I was going to college with a mate who went running and I started going with him."

In the years since, he has competed around the globe, including running in several marathons. He still enjoys half-marathons and a mixture of road running and cross-country.

Looking to the future, Peter has no plans to put his feet up yet.

"I like to get away for my holidays and I've got to pay for them somehow," he said.

He also has constant reminders of foreign travel, as the wall of his little shop is covered with postcards from far-flung exotic places, all sent or brought by customers.

"It gives people something to talk about when they're having their hair cut," said Peter.