In 1967 my folk moved from Wallington to a small village in Sussex. I was 18 at the time and went with them. Working in Croydon the drive home was a delight and I regularly stopped in the local for a pint before going home. I had a pewter tankard which hung in the bar and it was usually full by the time I'd walked through the door of the pub and was standing at the bar.

I thought I'd made it and the cost of a pint then was around 2/6d (13p) or about £1.50 in today's prices.

Going to the pub today the average cost of a pint is just short of £4, more in London of course. West Ham have sparked outrage by charging £7.60 for a pint. It's now an expensive business especially if you're buying a round for a few mates.

However Fullers London Pride in Sainsbury's works out at about £1.42 a pint.

No wonder more folk are drinking at home rather than go to the pub and that pubs are closing at a rapid rate.

So, do you still go to the pub for a pint or only if you have something to eat as well?

Ha,ha. An uncle bought me the tankard for my 21st Slimey. That's when it got hung in the pub. I've stll got it. Seems odd now doesn't it? You don't see blokes drinking from tankards these days, Willo might of course. TBH I didn't really like it, but it felt classy at the time.

I've actually packed in drinking but you can still find pints for about €1ish here if you know where to look.

I imagine Willo in the pub in jacket, collar and tie; yes, with a tankard. Before the ban, I imagine him with a pipe too.