Britain’s oldest family business didn’t let the coronavirus pandemic stop it from marking its 505th anniversary.

RJ Balson and Son butchers in Bridport’s West Street celebrated the occasion on Saturday with cake, bubbly, bunting, balloons and a draw for a £100 meat voucher.

Customers were able to mark the milestone anniversary with Richard and Rudi at the butchers by enjoying cake and bubbly while they waited to go into the shop.

Richard said: “It was difficult, you could only have two people in the shop, so everyone was stood outside drinking bubbly, queued up with a glass in their hand - luckily it was a lovely day and they didn’t mind waiting outside.

“MP Chris Loder came down and did the draw. He has been in a couple of times before and his family has a background in farming, so he was interested in what we do.

“It all went really well, and it was really good.”

West Dorset MP Chris Loder said he was ‘really pleased’ to drop into RJ Balson and Son to personally wish Richard and Alison Balson, and brother-in-law Rudi, best wishes on the 505th anniversary of the family business.

The shop was established in 1515 and is still going strong 25 generations later. The shop has been in West Allington since 1880.

The family had a big celebration for the shop’s 500th anniversary and Richard published a book, ‘500 Years Behind the Block’, which details his personal memories of living and working in West Allington and the relationship with his father.