The owner of Madhatters in Kimberley is quitting on a high - and can't wait to see what the new owners bring to the cafe. It's just over 10 years since Nygel Stevenson opened the tea room on Valentine's Day 2012.
And even during the darkest times when businesses were forced to close their doors during the pandemic, he said: "Even the last few years with Covid it hasn't been a low for me as it showed me the support I'd managed to get from the customers initially, stayed with them having takeaways, so it's all been highs, parties, tapas nights, people getting married, and we've had engagements in here so it has just been magical. I have loved everything about it."
He met Louis Theroux when the documentary maker was passing through Kimberley and gave him a tour of the quirky Alice in Wonderland themed cafe, where redundant seats from a trentbarton bus add to the vintage style. "Every single customer is important to me and we've made some wonderful friends over the years as well. That's the beauty of this place as it's a community within a community which is nice," said the 49-year-old.
