A COUPLE believed to be the longest-serving landlord and landlady at any pub in Lancashire are set to celebrate 30 years behind the bar of their Hyndburn hostelry at a party tonight.

Alan and Pamela Dewhurst, of the Hare and Hounds, Whalley Road, Clayton-le-Moors, took over the licence at the Daniel Thwaites pub on June 4, 1969.

The couple have worked for the brewery for 35 years and used to own The Boot, which is now Yates's Wine Lodge, in Burnley, and The Wellington, Blackburn, which has now closed.

"We have never thought of moving on," said Pam, originally from Cloughfold, Rossendale. "It doesn't feel like 30 years, although I often feel we've become part of the furniture!

"We've certainly seen a lot of customers come and go and we've had a really good time."

The pub's name was believed to be under threat in the early 1970s when the Load of Mischief pub opposite was knocked down to make way for the M65 motorway.

Pam said: "Thwaites owned that pub as well and there was some talk that our name would have to change to Load of Mischief, because it used to be a main bus stop.

"A lot of our customers didn't want the name changed. I'm not sure what happened, but the brewery left us as the Hare and Hounds." Pam celebrated her 60th birthday at the pub in February and Darwen-born Alan will do the same in August.

Daughters Gillian - who was born at The Wellington - and Amanda still help out at the pub, while the couple also have two sons, Michael and Christopher.

Party-goers will sing along to organ music and Thwaites has donated a 36 gallon barrel of beer. Pam added: "Everyone's a cabaret act here - they all get up and have a go!"

Thwaites area sales manager Rob Robson said: "To my knowledge, they are the longest-serving landlord and landlady at any one pub in the county. Long may they reign."

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