In these troubled times backing brilliant local, independent businesses has never been more important.

With lockdown hopefully ending in three weeks and the festive season coming up, our high street stores, shops, restaurants and pubs have never needed your support more.

Nub News is a big supporter of local businesses, highlighting offers on your high street and showcasing Hitchin shops, stores, restaurants and pubs, as well as companies, groups, organisations and charities.

So, here's Damian Cadwell from the brilliant Bull in Gosmore, who reflects on a busy year at his much-loved pub.

Read on for Damian's moving take on why it is so important to back Hitchin businesses, independents, pubs and restaurants all across our town and surrounding areas.

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Looking from the outside into an empty pub is a sad sight but looking at the same pub from the inside out is especially poignant as this week is our first birthday.

We opened a year ago and the feelings of that day are as fresh today as they were back then.

The anticipation of our first-ever guest walking through the door, the excitement of greeting and seating them, pulling the first pint, pouring the first glass of wine, hearing the kitchen printer buzz into life for our first ever order, preparing our first dishes and ringing the service bell for the first time.

The excitement, the fear, the exhilaration, the exhaustion - it's still as palpable today as back then.

Our first year has been a rollercoaster

After three and a half months of being open the nation was closed down and we met lockdown head on with a can-do approach and battled our way through.

Re-opening was as good as opening night the first time around.

It honestly felt like the soul had be restored to the pub.

The laughter, the chinking of glasses and the hum of conversation was intoxicating.

We were lucky to enjoy this from July until November...now the pub is silent again.

Our pub is closed - but hopefully not for too long

We, like so, so many businesses will rise again.

We are incredibly lucky in that we still have the opportunity to re-open but only with the help, love and support of our local community.

There are too many industries suffering due to Covid and ALL need our support.

The arts, local independent retail, local pubs and restaurants, our amazing care services, our amazing teaching community and so, so many more - my apologies for those I haven't mentioned!

If you can help and support independents please do

Buy from a local shop rather than Amazon, pay to watch an online gig or performance, order a take away from your local pub or restaurant, buy a gift voucher for a local establishment as a Christmas present or something as simple as liking and sharing posts on Facebook or Instagram.

Soohie and I would like to send our sincerest thanks to all who have support us over our first year...we truly couldn't have done it without you.

Here's to the next twelve months!

For more on the Bull in Gosmore click here

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