Udimore

There must have been some hundred people in the King’s Head on Easter Sunday evening to say farewell to the two young couples who have been running the pub for the past two years. With loyal support from their staff, their families and their friends, Martin, Julia, Jamie and Maria have been supplementing sales from their well-stocked bar (Harvey’s on draught a regular attraction) with first-class pub food for an ever increasing number of customers. On behalf of all of us, they were thanked by Gaynor Hill for the notable contribution they have made to the life of the community: it was only sad that no way could be found for their highly successful tenure of the King’s Head to be prolonged, but evidently it wasn’t to be. They’ll take with them, wherever they go, the gratitude and fond good wishes of their many customers.

It was nice to have this rather sad occasion brightened by a piece of good news: that afternoon Martin had proposed to Julia (arriving on horseback, fully clad as a knight in armour, as he’d always said he would) - and Julia had accepted!

Word has been going round that the pub is to reopen in a few weeks’ time under new managers. If they can maintain the high standard established by their predecessors, there’s no reason why the King’s Head shouldn’t continue to flourish.

Soon after sending in the above piece, I heard the sad news that Robert Elam died this afternoon (Tuesday) in the Conquest, where he had been receiving treatment for his longstanding pulmonary fibrosis. Robert was much respected and will be greatly missed by all who knew him well.