Alfie The Odd Job Boy from Clitheroe is back in new feature length film

In 2018, the world was introduced to 18-year-old Alfie Cookson, from Clitheroe.

At the time, Alfie found it hard to hold down a job, so set up his own business doing odd jobs around his hometown on his tandem pushbike, becoming a bit of a local legend.

After the success of that short, film-maker Aaron Dunleavy decided to continue following the teenager for the next year, charting his antics as he got banned from the local tip, and really getting to know what makes Alfie tick.

The end result is a new, hour long feature film, which is being premiered at The Grand in Clitheroe next month.

Mr Dunleavy said: "We filmed the majority of it a year after the first film, so the summer of 2019, following Alfie and seeing what he got up to next.

"The plan was to release it sooner, but then the pandemic hit and things just got pushed back a bit.

"This new film follows Alfie after he gets banned from the tip. It turned out that he needed a waste cleansing licence as he was taking things to the tip as a business and the council banned him.

"Around 3,000 people signed a petition to allow him back into the tip but it didn't work."

Now 21, Alfie is still living in Clitheroe and has big plans for the future.

He said: "After I was banned from the tip I had to sit back and analyse and think about what I would do next.

"Then I started taking on anything and everything, like moving stuff for people, taking more jobs like painting and mowing lawns, then I started selling roses on Valentine's Day and selling ice creams when it was sunny.

"I did some dog walking too but that was for charity. I was doing all kinds of things really. 

"I'm 21 now and in my prime and I'm still living in Clitheroe, I don't think I'll ever leave to be honest.

"Over the last couple of years I've been doing a bit more filming with Aaron, he's had me on a few jobs, keeping me going.

"What I really want to do next is buy a banged up van and do it up and take it round Europe, have my tandem on the back and show the world how other people live, but from my point of view."

Bumping into Alfie at Cloudspotting festival in Gisburn Forest when he was just 17, Mr Dunleavy said he could tell the Clitheroe lad was made to be in front of the camera.

He went on: "He saw me filming and called me over and said 'come and film me'.

"I stayed in touch with him and found out he'd set up his own business and I just knew I needed to go and film it."

The new film, entitled Alfie, is being premiered at The Grand in Clitheroe on June 11, and Mr Dunleavy said he is in talks with some broadcasters and distributors to see what they can do about releasing it to the world after this.

He added: "We had a little family and friends premiere in November last year, with about 250 people, but we've just started promoting the official premiere the last couple of weeks.

"Even when you go and look back at that short from 2018, there's still comments on it and demand from people wanting to see what Alfie did next

"With this film though, it takes a different path, there's more depth to it, and people will get to find out what Alfie is really like.

"We hope that he'll become a household name and he'd love to do more as he's a bit of an entertainer."

Alfie added: "And if Netflix want to get hold, well, that'd be the dream."