The Covid pandemic has made it a long and challenging 12 months - but light is at the end of the tunnel this summer after the government's four step plan to exit lockdown.

It's been a long old year for everyone in our town, as well as up and down the country, but with restrictions set to finally ease on June 21, many are looking forward to socialising once again.

Prior to lockdown, Hitchin was renowned for its live music scene, including a raft of gigs at the acclaimed Club 85 and various pubs including The Victoria.

So, with popular Hitchin troubadour James Bay revealing during the pandemic that he would be 'well up' for playing in a pub, what better way than to celebrate the easing of 2021 restrictions, than to have the Brit-award-winning star play his hometown this summer.

The former Hitchin Boys' School pupil - who made his name with multi-million selling hit single 'Hold Back The River' in 2014 - has performed on arena tours with Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and The Rolling Stones over the years, and admitted last summer when restrictions were ending after the first lockdown, that he would jump at the chance to play in a pub.

Speaking last year he said: "I get up every day because I am now lucky enough to play shows professionally. The fact I can't do that is desperately depressing. I would do a pub tour tomorrow, I am well up for it."

So, with a number of Hitchin's pubs reawakening from their enforced lockdown hibernation, what better time to celebrate the fact than for the Grammy-nominated Bay to mark the end of the pandemic with an small gig at pub in the town where he grew up.

Bay has always insisted small music venues are 'vital' to the health of the county's live music scene.

"I remember the first time people shut up in a pub and stopped talking," James recalled, adding: "That made my heart explode in many ways.

"If we want a future for music, you have got to have those small venues. Otherwise artists can't work out how to do their thing really well and go on to bigger venues."

With Bay set to be one of the headliners at the family friendly CarFest at the end of August, he could even treat any possible Hitchin gig as warm-up to the late summer festival.

Over to you James - we'd love to have you play in Hitchin this summer!