A former Mrs Brown and I would often drive over for a meal only to have to take a taxi home, such was the warmth of the welcome the Moles bestowed on their clientele. They were generous to a fault and so welcoming. One morning Molie woke up, picked up the mail from the mat and peered out of the window. The rainbow outside appeared to have a pot of gold at the end, but having opened the first envelope he realised his landlords were offering him a new lease at £59,000 per annum. (This was about 8 years ago) Now this cautious old fox looked through the haze to see there was a trap door through which, if he fell, his hard earned crust that he had built up over 25 years would evaporate and he could well see retirement out in poverty. John Mole retired taking his hard earned dosh with him to Portugal where, if there is a God, he will live happily ever after. The Pub Company had made a fortune out of him over the years and it was time for them to continue to make money out of this prime site on the busiest "A" road in the country.

After Molie left, at least two other couples took on the lease to try to make it work. They did not have the "Molie Midas touch", or experience and these poor souls floundered. There is no problem there, if you are a pub co, or even a large regional brewer, as there will always be another mug willing to sink their savings in to the pub. When there are no more mugs, then you just get rid of the pub, no matter the cost to the community.

Will, mine host at the neighbouring White Horse in Swavesey, wrote the following in a local magazine as an epilogue to the Foot.

Trinity Foot (R.I.P)

The Trinity Foot or New Inn as older members of the community may remember it, has called time for the last time as a hostelry.

The word from the current freehold owners, Enterprise Inns plc, is that "It is to be de-licensed and sold for a more profitable alternative use".

Which in every day language means that they have succeeded in ripping off a sequence of recent licensees by way of exorbitant rent and tied product purchase prices, to the point where the pub is no longer a viable commercial proposition and they are now able to cash in their investment and reap their rewards of this particular part of the property portfolio. Another one bites the dust - and then there was one - use it or lose it.

I am grateful to Will for allowing me to use his work in this parable, and wish him well in his wonderful pub.

The message to the Breweries and Pub co is TAKE HEED!

Recently Punch Taverns shares dropped dramatically and what with pubs falling like ninepins it is time for the people with their hands on the sails to allow slack to let our pubs thrive. How many times do you have to be warned!

Jerry Brown