A shoe repair man who has kept Ilkley well heeled for the past 15 years is leaving his traditional town centre workshop.

Kevin Hodgson, best known as The Jolly Cobbler, based at the rear of Brook Street, will shut up shop later this month.

A former engineer and wrestler, the self-taught cobbler, 55, of Baildon, says rising costs have contributed to his decision.

But he hopes to keep his valued customers, continuing with his trade from his home workshop.

Mr Hodgson began repairing shoes as a hobby but with the help of a book borrowed from Bradford Central Library and some time spent watching craftsmen at work while out shopping in Bradford on a Saturday afternoon, he decided to make it his trade.

He originally set up business in Meanwood, Leeds, 25 years ago, then saw an opportunity to trade in Ilkley.

His first customer – who still visits the workshop today – turned up with 12 pairs of shoes in need of repair.

Mr Hodgson admits he will not miss getting up early on Saturday mornings.

“For the past 25 years I’ve not had a weekend off, apart from when we take a holiday,” he said.

He estimated he repairs about 50 to 60 pairs of footwear a week.

His workshop off Ilkley’s South Hawksworth Street car park is filled with nostalgic posters from the 1930s and 1940s, and some of the shoes that stand out among the many he has worked on.

Among these are old-style clogs – including a pair he made for his son – and the shoes which won him a prestigious title in the Yorkshire Footwear Repairers’ Association.