Harpenden Landlady Adorns Pub with 6,000 Baubles to Fund Community Defibrillator

The proprietor of a pub has adorned its ceiling with 6,000 decorative baubles as a fundraising initiative to acquire a community defibrillator. Niki Hackett, aged 56, has been embellishing the ceiling of The Oddfellows Arms, located in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, with seasonal ornaments for a decade, with the scale of her display increasing annually. She announced on New Year’s Day that individuals could contribute £1 to take down a bauble, inscribe a message on a paper heart, and suspend it where the ornament had been. She stated her inspiration stemmed from the loss of “few regulars” during the current year, further remarking that it was “really important we keep the heart of the pub in the community”. The pub owner mentioned that patrons informed her they had journeyed by train specifically to witness the display. “It’s nice to see people bring their kids in… everybody comes in to see if I got them – I just love Christmas,” she commented. The installation of the ornaments required three weeks of effort from her and the pub’s employees. She added, “I still have 600 left in the pizza shed.” On Christmas Day, Ms. Hackett plans to treat several of her customers, who are either solitary or recently widowed, to Christmas lunch. She stated: “There’s 15 of us – we’ve lost a few of our regular customers this year, so it’s a bit sad, but it’s really nice for the community and pub to come together.” “When I became a landlady I was 22. I’m 56 now. One guy has stuck with me all these years and he’s on his own – I had to do something.” She reiterated, “It’s really important we keep the heart of the pub in the community.” Updates from Beds, Herts and Bucks news are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.