TRIBUTES have been paid to a well-known gardener and former milkman who spent his life serving the community.
Robert ‘Bob’ Bennett, 81, who delivered milk for over 50 years, passed away suddenly in Distington on August 1.
Mr Bennett worked with his older brother Jim, his entire life. J&R Bennett’s ran the biggest milk round in Whitehaven, delivering all over the town and surrounding areas. They were the first to bring bottled milk into Whitehaven.
Brothers Jim and Bob Bennett pictured at their family home in Distington (Image: Family handout)
Even before leaving school, Mr Bennett had a milk round with his brother and would deliver milk before going into school. He attended Distington School and lived in the Bennett family home in the village all his life.
Mr Bennett was also a keen gardener and his brother said they would come home after doing the milk round and would ‘do a bit of gardening’ in the afternoon. They started off growing vegetables and then moved into flowers.
Mr Bennett married his wife, Muriel, who was a milk customer, in the 1990s. They were married for 30 years until her death.
After closing their milk business in 2010, Mr Bennett and his brother devoted their time to gardening. They started getting bigger jobs and secured landscaping work with John Swift Homes.
Brothers Jim and Bob Bennett devoted their time to horticulture after retiring from their milk delivery business (Image: Family handout)
They followed the developer all over west Cumbria, and carried out all the landscaping work at The Mount in Whitehaven, the Millfields in Lamplugh and more recently, the new Harras Moor estate.
They spent over 20 years creating beautiful flower beds throughout Distington village and grew flower plants for Copeland Council. They would take ‘big armfuls’ of flowers to decorate The Church of The Holy Spirit in Distington and also decorated the Distington and Parton War memorials.
Bob Bennett had a keen interest in gardening (Image: Family handout)
The brothers enjoyed attending flower shows and Mr Bennett used to show items at agricultural shows across west Cumbria.
Mr Bennett’s brother, Jim, said the public always remembered his brother for their milk round. He said: “Even when he went in supermarkets, people used to say, ‘there’s the milkman’.
“All the kids used to get on for a ride and they still remember having a ride on the vans.”
Bob Bennett pictured with his great-granddaughter, Sasha (Image: Family handout)
When asked what it was like working with his brother, Jim replied: “It must have been something good – not many folk can say they have worked together for 81 years.
“He was just work, work, work. All our lives, we got up early morning. Folk used to say, ‘do you not get tired?’ We just did it. We knew nothing else.”
Mr Bennett’s great-granddaughter, Sasha, added: “He wanted to do everything for you. If he loved you, he loved you wholeheartedly.
“He was always helping people and just doing what he could.
“He wasn’t your average grandad. He was my dad, all in one. He’s been there for the good and the bad.”
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