At his age most people would be well into their retirement, but Paul Georgiou, who turns 80 this week, is still busy serving customers.

The grandfather works at Fountains Coffee House in Bradford’s Oastler Shopping Centre, which he has owned with his wife Mary, 74, for the past 40 years. The couple, who will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary in May, have owned and run cafes in the city for 50 years.

Fountains, which is managed by their son Michael, was one of the first businesses to open in the then John Street Market.

Mary, who also works at the cafe, said: “We enjoy socialising and meeting different people. We have seen parents come in here, then their children, then their grandchildren. People like coming here because its a family business.

“Paul is here every day. When we are on holiday people ask where he is. We have no plans to retire.”

The couple’s other cafes included the Metropolis in Morley Street, now part of the Alhambra, the Fiesta in Market Street and the Athenium in the Kirkgate Centre. During the 1970s they also ran the Continental Coffee Bar in Godwin Street.

Mrs Georgiou said: “We have seen Bradford change altogether.

“When we started out the wool industry was at its height. Now people say there’s nothing here, but it’s up to the people of Bradford to make it what it was and support the businesses.”

The couple’s four children all helped out at Fountains on Saturdays while they were growing up.

Chris Georgiou, one of their sons, said: “We have seen the good times and the bad times. There’s been a lot of change in John Street during the last 40 years.

“We have seen a lot of cafes fall by the wayside but we have still maintained a lot of our customer base.

“We’ve kept the retro ‘frothy coffee shop’ style of the cafe which people like.”