Malcolm's the nation's favourite milkman!

Bexhill milkman Malcolm Chrismas has beaten 1,500 colleagues to become Dairy Crest s top franchise-holder nationally.

Malcolm, of The Barnhams, has been a milkman for 16 years and looks after customers in the town centre.

The community-minded "milky" is a former chairman of Bexhill Carnival Committee and was among local bus drivers who used their redundancy money after Maidstone and District pulled out of local routes to found a brave but under-funded private enterprise bus service called Manxtree.

Modest Malcolm had little to say about his award as he went about his round as dawn broke over the town centre on Tuesday. "All I know is that the managing director is coming down to present me with something..."

Malcolm s local Unigate depot manager, Martin Lawrence, far less reticent.

"Malcolm is now Dairy Crest Franchisee of the Year nationally. Each depot nominates a franchise-holder. I nominated Malcolm.

"It then goes to Area and the area manager was so impressed with Malcolm that he nominated him out of nominees from 20 depots.

"It then goes to national level and he s won right through.

"Why Malcolm? It s the service he gives his customers above all else.

"He is also a community figure."

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