Former bar manager Joan, 84, returns to the British Legion to ‘pull one last pint’

Waltham Abbey care home resident, Joan Edwards, has returned to the Royal British Legion in Borehamwood to pull one last pint, thanks to the team at her care home.

Joan, aged 84, now  a resident at Honey Lane Care Home, was bar manager at the British Legion for 20 years up until her retirement in the late 1990s. The specialist residential dementia care home on Honey Lane, off Margherita Road, has been her home since November of last year and the team organised the special trip down memory lane. .

“It’s been almost 30 years since I left the legion,” explained Joan, who is fondly referred to as the Pat Butcher of the British Legion. “I’ve loved getting the chance to chat to my old friends and regulars, and to pull one last pint!

“I worked as a barmaid for most of my working life, I loved the social side of the job, getting to meet new people, many of whom turned into friends.”

Joan pulled a pint of Guinness and needed no help from barman Wayne in finding her way around the bar.

“It felt very special going back after so many years,” continued Joan. “I was surprised to see so many of my old customers. It was lovely to have such a warm welcome, it bought back lots of memories from the good old days!”

Joan, a grandmother of six, began her career as bar manager in the 1970s and was responsible for organising the Legion’s regular events such as karaoke and bingo, special events and outings, and even holidays abroad.

Dave Edwards, Joan’s son, said: “I call her the Pat Butcher of the British Legion, as like the Eastenders character, Mum was so well-known and respected for her role behind the bar.”

Arthur Neal, a friend of Joan’s who was thrilled to see her back behind the bar, recalled: “Joan could run two bars with a queue of 100 members with no stress and still have a smile on her face!”

Lisa Gammalliere, lifestyle manager at Honey Lane Care  Home, said: “Our team take the time to get to know our residents so that we understand what they love and what’s important to them.

“It’s our aim to create wonderful new memories for our residents, so we were delighted to help make Joan’s return to the British Legion one to remember!

“To see Joan’s joy at being back on her old stomping ground was wonderful. You could see how highly thought of she was by all of her friends and regulars.”

Located on Honey Lane in Waltham Abbey, the 38-bed care home is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and are finalists in the Dementia in Care Awards 2025.