A landlady aged 87 has told how she is “not old enough to retire” and plans to continue pouring pints at her pub.
Judith Birkett has worked in the pub trade for four decades and doesn’t want to give up despite waiting for a pacemaker to be fitted.
She said: “I’m not old enough to retire. I like people and to be honest the thought of retirement is not something I want to contemplate.
“What would I do with my time? Drive all the neighbours mad probably.
“As I always said keep moving, they’ll bury you if you don’t.”
Judith, who holds the title of Nottingham’s oldest landlady, runs The New Castle in Sneinton.
The mum-of-four added: “I think my customers would be more than a little upset if I departed even though I tend to be a bit heavy on them sometimes. The general opinion seems to be better the devil you know.
“One advantage of maturity, you don’t have to apologise for anything. You can say put it down to old age or senility. I have a happy ship. If you don’t customers get short shrift so we try and do our best for them.
“I’m slightly incapacitated but I will not give in. I like people, young, old, decrepit, nasty-tempered, charming, anybody as long as they don’t smell.
“The secret to being a good landlady is charm, personality. I’ve perhaps got a personality but I haven’t got the charm.
“I very seldom get problems. I have a very loud voice. I don’t take prisoners. Most of the customers regard me as an ancient treasure. It takes a lot to faze me. I’m perfectly suited to the job.”
Judith came into the pub trade at the age of 47 in 1983 when she took over the lease of a country pub, The Willow Tree, at Barnby in the Willows, near Newark.
She was 79 when she decided to take on a semi-derelict closed pub, reopening it as The New Castle.
Mandy Doe has worked behind the bar for six years. She said: “She’s the best boss I’ve had.
“When I started working here, we had our ups and downs, now I come here and I can do what I want. If Judith doesn’t like it she’ll tell me. She’s not having a go at me, she’s just telling me.”
Regular Rob Foster, 64, said: “She’s friendly to everyone, she’s a good gal. She’s very well liked.”
Steve Westby, the chairman of Nottingham CAMRA, added: “She’s a truly remarkable lady, well worthy of public recognition.”
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