IT is an unusual week for Danielle Hooper and her team at The Moon on the Square pub.
They are set to stop trading from Sunday 25 September but the staff and regulars are determined to enjoy the time they have left in the Basildon pub.
“It is bittersweet because we are sad to be closing but we want to make the most of our last week,” she said.
“However, I want to reassure people Wetherspoons is not leaving Basildon, there will be a new pub here, there’s no timeline on it as yet, but it is going to happen. The pub has been here for 26 years this year and has strong roots, it’s not going away.”
For pub manager Danielle Hooper it is the positive reaction she gets from her guests and staff that has made her job worthwhile.
“I never dread going to work like some people do. I like being there and that’s down to the staff and the regulars,” said Danielle. “I always look forward to work and the reaction I get when I walk in the pub, I love my job.”
News of the pub’s closure came in April this year when Wetherspoons confirmed it will close after plans for hundreds of new homes were approved.
The building where the pub is based is set to be demolished as part of a huge project to redevelop Basildon town centre.
Danielle says that her regulars are going to miss the pub.
“Our regulars are upset and they ask me when are we going to reopen. They are creatures of habit and for many people who come here every day this is like their living room, it’s where they meet with friends and socialise,” Danielle said.
“They are already saying they might not see each other again because they come from different directions. But I said The Moon on the Square is right by the station and so it The Last Post in Southend where I am going to be working.”
Thankfully all the staff have been retained. There are no redundancies.
“Two of my staff have been there 15 years, it shows real loyalty and we don’t want to lose that. Some of my staff are going to Rayleigh and some to Billericay and I will be based in Southend.”
Danielle started there two years ago and in that time she has forged a close-knit team. “It was my birthday last week and I came back into the pub to find chocolates for me, they are very sweet and like family to me,” she said.
Pub of the Week
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