There can be few Silsden residents who haven’t shopped at Paul’s DIY, in Briggate, which has been owned by the Waddington family and run by Paul Waddington (pictured above) since 1979. Paul’s sense of humour is legendary. Selling a phenomenal array of goods, from egg timers to electric sockets, from pet foods to pastry-cutters, from Kilner jars to coal scuttles and from putty to fragrant pedal-bin liners, the shop is a throwback to a different retail era and has been immune to supermarket and internet competition. Best-sellers include paint brushes, bath and kitchen sealants and DIY items. “Watering cans have not done well this year,” said Paul, noting the record-breaking rainfall of 2012.