While Birmingham sleeps, there are two unsung heroes who work tirelessly ensuring that the exterior of our great city is always gleaming.
The Early Morning Men are a father and son window cleaning team, both named Stephen Talbot.
With over 60 years' experience between them, they have worked on many iconic venues throughout Birmingham and the Midlands.
Their dedication is remarkable, consistently working seven days a week, as soon as dawn breaks.
Big Steve, the father in this very effective double act, began the discipline of window cleaning back in the 1960s.
Cleaning thousands of square metres of glass a week, alongside We Clean they have forged relationships with the MAC, Town Hall Symphony Hall and the Birmingham Hippodrome, the latter they have worked on for over 35 years.
Steve has many a tale to tell regarding the iconic buildings and characters he has worked with over the years and he's amazed by how much Birmingham has changed during this period: "The transformation is remarkable, all of the new infrastructure, the size of the city.
"It's great to see the growth and it's made my job a lot more interesting, as we're always working on something different."
The Talbot partnership with We Clean began in 2003 where, in their first job together, they were tasked to complete a full exterior clean of the Birmingham Bullring development in just four weeks.
Since the start of their careers, both of the Talbots agree that window cleaning has drastically changed: "Health and safety is now paramount and has influenced the nature of our cleaning discipline greatly but, thanks to the ongoing training we've received from We Clean and the investment they put into our safety and the new cleaning technology available, these challenges have felt a little bit easier."
The younger of the two Steves relishes the chance to carry on the window cleaning legacy his father has built after previously serving in the armed forces: "After three tours of Iraq, I was ready for a change of career, luckily, I had the opportunity to work with my dad and I'm really excited to learn the ins and outs of the industry and build a great relationship with we clean."
With both Talbot.s being Birmingham born and bred, they take immense pride in working in and around the city.
Through regeneration projects and a range of new ventures, Birmingham is slowly becoming the UK's No.1 city destination and they feel honoured to have the opportunity to keep Birmingham's glass gleaming.
To learn more please visit www.wecleanltd.com and follow @WeCleanBham on Twitter.
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