THE ODDFELLOWS Arms pub in St Bees will be saying goodbye to its landlady Margaret Thomson, after 24 years behind the bar.

Margaret has been the landlady of the pub for 24 years and has decided to retire at the age of 76.

Before eventually going to the Oddfellows Arms, Margaret previously worked in the Manor at St Bees and was landlady of The Punchbowl in the late 80s.

Margaret spoke about life as a landlady throughout the years. She said: "It is very hard work but because I enjoyed it so much, it didn’t seem like hard work.

"There hasn’t been a time I haven’t enjoyed it. You meet lots of different people and some proper characters but everyone is nice in their own way."

The decision to retire has not been an easy one. Margaret spoke about what it felt like to retire. She said: "Awful but at the same time I need to now because of my mobility. It isn’t a choice I would have made, it was one of the hardest decision of my life because I have enjoyed so much over the years

"I have been here for 24 years... it has been difficult making this decision but once I get used to it, it will be ok.

"It is one big family in here, everybody says it’s a home from home. There isn’t many that come in that haven’t been behind the bar themselves, it's that kind of pub. You can trust everyone and they are so lovely.”

Whitehaven News: Margaret at Christmas time with Beckie Fowlds, her granddaughter. Margaret at Christmas time with Beckie Fowlds, her granddaughter. (Image: Supplied)

Once Margaret retires, she plans to settle in her retirement flat. She spoke about what her retirement plans are. She said: "I want to join in with things. I read a lot but I never watch TV because I have been in this trade for 42 years but I might watch a bit of tele. I have a lot to catch up on!

"I always have the radio on, I love music and I have quite a few friends that I will visit."

Her daughter, Helen, explained how during Covid, residents of St Bees and customers of Oddfellows Arms rallied around to help each other, and Margaret. The customers of the pub have become like family to each other over the years, and Margaret found it difficult to put into words just how grateful she was. She said: "This is a difficult one, I don’t know how to express it in words.

“I want to thank everyone for their loyalty, support, help and being for being my friend really. I want to thank them not as a customer but as a friend. There is an awful lot of people who have been so willing to help, even before my mobility went, people still helped.

"People are so kind to me, it has been so nice. That’s what I'll miss but if I say more, I'll start crying!"

Margaret is hosting some retirement parties at the pub in May to celebrate her 24th year, and her retirement.