Puds are part of the furniture

A healthy use for Christmas puds . . . .(from the left) Fred, Barbara and Peter

HOLDING open the main doors thousands of times a week for customers of one of the north’s most famous home furnishing stores is arm-breaking work.

But now the secret is out as to how Peter Brooks and Fred Waterfield, the 60-plus top-hatted doormen at Housing Units in Failsworth, manage to do it . . . break-time massages and shopping bags full of Christmas puds.

For most of the year, Peter and Fred hold open doors to thousands of customers every week.

Now they are bracing themselves for the big increase that comes with December’s Christmas shopping boom and they do it by getting into shape — weight-lifting bags of Christmas puddings they hide behind the umbrella stands at the main entrance!

“It’s strenuous, but it seems to do us good,” said Peter (61), from Oldham.

“Door-opening involves working against a spring and sometimes against a strong breeze as well —you have to get all the angles right, otherwise there’s great danger of a back tweak or muscle pull.

But the doormen needn’t worry. Staff member Barbara Beisty is first-aid-trained and pretty good at shoulder massages.

“Each customer means two door openings if we get to the door before they do.

“Most of the year that’s around 5,000 times a week but on the run-up to Christmas it can get as high as 20,000 or more door openings a week with up to 60,000 customers passing through.”

Peter is a former baker and ran his own business for 20 years which meant hefting bags of flour and trays of bread.

“Make no mistake, you have to be in good shape – so when we get chance we do some gentle weightlifting,” he said.

Fred Waterfield was sent to Harrods by Housing Units to learn the finer points of superior door-opening skills.

Nick Fox, a director of Housing Units, said: “Our doormen are brilliant. Rain, shine, wind or sale-time stampede — they’re always smiling.”