It's Thursday night in the White Swan where, in one corner, songs by Cliff Richard, Derek and the Dominoes and Rick Astley are among those being belted out through the speaker - and by some of the less sober punters. At the other, quieter end - huddled around a table of half-full glasses of Stones beer and alcohol-free Guinness - are Paul Haynes, Bill Munden, Ken King, Peter Thirlwall, Brian Ayres and Dick Cotton. None of them can imagine being anywhere else in the world right now, as Thursday night has been pub night every week for the last 56 years. The group, all now in their early eighties, reckon they've scarcely missed two dozen meet-ups since 1968.

Source: The Times October 19, 2024 18:42 UTC