A REGULAR described as ‘part of the furniture’ at a Monk Bretton pub has been commemorated at what was his favourite spot at the bar.
Retired paratrooper and firefighter Ken Walker died in June aged 73, after a battle with cancer.
He had lived at the same house in Shelley Drive, Monk Bretton - a stone’s throw from the Full House pub in the village - for most of his life.
The pub was where he spent much of his time - so much so that, following his funeral and wake held at the Full House, he has now been given a permanent place at the bar in a plaque donated by the parachute regiment.
“He did nine years in the parachute regiment, he was also in the fire service for 25 years,” said son Neil, 43. “So he spent a large part of his life jumping out of planes that weren’t broken and the other walking into fires.
“He’d always gone to the pub, everyone just loved him. There will be people in there who know him a lot better than I do, he’d been retired for 20 years so he was always there with his friends.
“I know a few people there still think about him. The amount of comments and messages we’ve had is unreal.
“At the funeral we turned up in the hearse and there was a very long line of people all wanting to pay their respects. There were 170 there, we were told.”
Former landlady and now manager Nicola Ciampricotti had hinted to Neil, who now lives in Leamington Spa, that the pub would be doing something in memory of his dad.
But it was a surprise when he and the rest of Ken’s family were finally given a chance to see the plaque.
“She made a little comment about putting something on the bar, which I took as a little joke or a nice comment and didn’t think much else,” he said.
Daughter Vikki, 31, of St Helen’s Way, Monk Bretton, added: “No matter who was in there, he’d always get talking to them. He loved to be in the thick of it.
“The number of people who turned up at his wake at the pub was incredible.
“This is five months later so the people at the pub also clearly thought a lot about him. He’s not someone anyone will ever forget, and now he’ll always have a place at the bar.
“He’d be very humbled by it, but secretly he’d be dancing a little jig inside. I think it’d bring a tear to his eye.”
Nicola said: “We always do something for regulars, but this is the first since we had the bar refurbished three years ago and it couldn’t have gone to a better man.
“We thought about where to put it for a while, we thought about outside in the garden, but where it is now was Ken’s spot. He’d stand there so he could see every member of staff.
“He was part of the furniture and he’s left a big mark on everyone’s hearts.”
