Oldest ice cream man, Adam Kelly, 96

Britain’s oldest ice cream man has died after more than 50 years of service.

Tributes have flooded in for D-Day veteran Adam Kelly who is said to have died peacefully on Tuesday after a short illness aged 96.

Mr Kelly, who was awarded the British Empire Medal last year, ran Adam’s Ices in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, for more than half a century.

But he had to retire in 2016 after DVLA chiefs refused to renew his driving licence.

Mr Kelly was thought to be the oldest ice-cream van driver in the UK after Italian Stallion Giovanni Rozzo died last year weeks before his 105th birthday.

He is said to have died peacefully at Borders General Hospital after a short illness.

A family statement was posted on the Adam’s Ice Appreciation Society Facebook page yesterday.

It said: “On behalf of his family it is with a heavy heart that I share the sad news that Adam Kelly BEM passed away peacefully in Borders General Hospital yesterday after a short illness.

“He was one of a kind and a true gentleman. In his 96 years, he contributed to the community in countless ways and will be sorely missed.”

Mr Kelly started his own ice-cream van business in 1966 and served generations of sweet-toothed residents in Galashiels over the years.

The local confectioner previously drove a milk tanker for a local creamery.

And he revealed in a 2011 interview that he only began his ice-cream van rounds to provide holiday cover as a favour for a friend.

He added: “Then in 1966 he gave up the van and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Adam Kelly served up ice creams in Galashiels for 50 years.