A FORMER Wellington resident came back to the town this week, exactly 50 years to the day when he first arrived.

And he was driving the same car that he arrived in on Valentine’s Day, 1972.

Edwin Prouse came to Wellington to manage International Stores, which was where Boots is now, when he was 27.

Edwin, now 77, spent 12 years in the town, living about the shop, which had a staff of 15.

His former back garden is now the Boots loading and delivery area and several housing developments.

He lived in Wellington for 12 years, before taking up other retail jobs around the South West, and finally retiring to Bradford-on-Tone.

His car is a 1958 Austin A35, which has been lovingly looked after and lives in its own specially insulated garage.

Edwin says Wellington has changed a lot in the last 50 years: "There were a lot more little shops back then here in the centre of town. It’s still a nice little town though."