Baldock is bidding a sad farewell this week to the landlords of a landmark pub.
Phil and Sue Hitch are set to enjoy a life of retirement in sunny Tenerife, after 14 years owning the Hen & Chickens.
Phil said: “It’s been a brilliant 14 years. We love the pub and the people who come here.
“It’s a good community pub, we do a lot of activities and fundraising for charity.
“We sincerely hope that it’s going to carry on just like it is now.”
The pub will get a temporary owner over the Christmas period, but after that its future is uncertain.
Daniel Bird, a drum teacher who has been a regular performer at live music nights with his band Blondshell, has organised a farewell event this weekend – from 3pm to midnight on Saturday, and 3pm to 7pm on Sunday.
He said: “Everybody in there is going to make some sort of effort to do something to say thank you to Phil and Sue. It will be two days of continuous music.”
The venue has had music at its heart during Phil and Sue’s tenure. Daniel said: “The music nights are fantastic.
“Anything goes. You have your real amateurs knocking around with your semi-professionals on a regular basis.
“It’s about the attitude. One highlight that stands out is when a local band performed the whole of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon album.
“You couldn’t get in the place, it was so busy. People were outside watching it through the window. Pink Floyd is one of Phil’s favourite bands. It’s gone down in history.”
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