TO celebrate 40 years working for Lloyds Bank, David Palmer completed a 25-mile charity walk in aid of the Arrhythmia Alliance, from the Waterlooville branch to Liphook, where he currently works, raising £2,500.

David told The Herald: “I first started working at Lloyds Bank in Waterlooville on August 1, 1977, and decided to do the walk to my current branch on August 1, 2017 – exactly 40 years later.

“The walk was to raise money to help install defibrillators in schools in Liphook, Grayshott and Haslemere – the branches I rotate between each week.

“The charity helps people with cardiac arrhythmia, which is the medical term for an irregular heartbeat or abnormal heart rhythm. I had brilliant sunshine for my walk which took just under seven hours, with refreshment stops in Horndean, Chorton, Durleigh Marsh and Rake, finishing in The Square just after 4pm.

“My walking partner was a friend, Tom Rowney, and Anne Porter acted as service crew – my thanks go to both as well as to all the people who sponsored me.”

Throughout his 40 years with Lloyds, David has worked in branches including Cowplain, Southsea, Petersfield, Portsmouth, Chichester, Havant and Hayling Island, before coming to Liphook in June 2013.

He remembers taking part in the bank’s Festival of Sport, captaining the winning badminton team and has seen many changes taking place during his career.

“In the early years, we used to get truckloads of cheques delivered first thing every morning which had to be recorded by hand – computers arrived much later”, he recalled. “Over the years the footfall has drastically dropped with people doing their banking online, but I still enjoy interacting with customers at the counter the most.

“Working at Liphook has been wonderful for me – with some of the friendliest customers, who I will sadly miss when I retire.”

David can be seen behind the bank’s counter in Grayshott for the first three days of the week and in Liphook Thursdays and Fridays, as well as helping out at Haslemere when needed.

He will be retiring on September 13, before the closure of the Grayshott branch on October 10.