Kettering's mortgage man Ian still loves his job as he clocks up 25 years in town

A lot's changed since 1997, when the average cost of a house was just £56,199. Prices have now soared to nearly five times that value.

But one thing has stayed constant over the past 25 years - the presence of mortgage man Ian Wilson in Kettering' s town centre.

He opened The Mortgage Store in Gold Street on Valentine's Day in 1997 and is now celebrating, after clocking up a quarter of a century helping local families secure mortgages.

When he started annual incomes were about £16,500 which, despite the soaring house prices, have little more than doubled. Ian said this highlights the difficulties young people now face in getting on the property ladder. The only saving grace is the substantially lower interest rates than in 1997, when the Bank of England rate peaked at a lofty 7.25 per cent.

Ian said he remembers thumbing through a book of mortgage rates when advising clients in the pre-internet days, when applications were all paper-based and sent via fax.

He said the whole process seemed to take forever, and he certainly doesn't yearn for a return to the days before technology revolutionised the mortgage market.

The mortgage broker still values the opportunity of sitting face-to-face with clients - and 25 years after starting he still loves his job just as much.

He said: "I can honestly say that I still really enjoy what I do.

"I might not particularly enjoy the paperwork, but the actual job of giving advice and arranging people's mortgages I still really enjoy.

"I think I'm really lucky from that point of view. A lot people don't like their jobs."

Before the Covid-19 pandemic Ian took part in some serious adventures, such as a trek to Everest Base Camp, scaling Kilimanjaro and the UK Three Peaks Challenge for a special care baby charity. He added that he's looking forward to taking part in future challenges to keep him fit and healthy for the next 25 years.