A retired regional reporter with a special literary ‘century’ to his name is beginning a new career at 84 – as the number one letter writer on his old weekly newspaper.

Fenland’s most talked-about writer Trevor Bevis may have published his last tome – he’s managed 126 history books in 65 years – but he’s not put his pen down altogether.

For the former Cambridgeshire Times journalist is eyeing a new career in ‘Letters to the Editor’ at his former March-based employers.

He’s manages at least four missives a week, says Times editor John Elworthy.

“He may have written his last book but he is without doubt the paper’s most prolific letter writer of the modern era,” added John who has also discovered another record-breaking talent hidden in Trevor’s history.

Trevor, pictured right, was born in Lincolnshire and moved to the market town of March aged nine. In his early teens he joined Sharman & Co, former publishers of the Cambs Times, initially as a printer.

“And in a fascinating chat the other day I found out how Trevor claimed the title of fastest Linotype operator around 70 years ago,” added John.

“As a 14-year-old Trevor’s old boss set him the challenge of how he could earni an extra half a crown a week by quickening up his Linotype skills.

“Never Ernie driving the fastest milk car in the west – it wasn’t long before Trevor was hitting his target as the Linotype speed king of the east.”

Trevor switched from the hot metal of the composing room to journalist on the weekly before changing course again – this time chronicling the history of the Fenland, notably the work of migrants who settled there 350 years ago.

His work has proved popular as far afield as Holland and America and one of his books, Hereward of the Fens, has had 35,000 copies printed and takes pride of place in Cambridgeshire University library.

“When I started writing hardly any books existed about the Fens. Now I have written about almost every town in the Fens and all my books are illustrated by my line-drawings and photographs,” he added.