Landlady of Fratton pub The Druid's Arms commemorated with memorial bench as regulars praise a lifetime of community work

Customers of the The Druid’s Arms in Binsteed Road, Buckland, came together to purchase a memorial bench for former landlady Sue Castellano. An unveiling ceremony for the bench, which now sits in the pub’s garden, was held on Friday, June 30, where loved ones and local people shared kind words and remembered Sue as a pillar of the community. Sue, who spent almost 30 years working at The Druid’s Arms, died on February 14 this year at the age of 66 after falling ill with cancer. She played an active role in organising public events in the area during her lifetime.

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Sue’s son Chris Brown, who is currently runs the premises as a Fuller’s licensee, said: ‘My mum’s happiest times were when she was organising street parties. She absolutely loved Christmas - it was her forte.’

Regular customer Darren Robson described Sue as ‘very strict’ but ‘kind’.

He added: ‘Our lovely landlady passed away on Valentine’s Day. We had a collection because we wanted to commemorate the fact that she had been here for 30 years and the landlady for 19 years. She was amazing for the community and brought everyone together. She liked organising events so that the whole community would turn up and be together, enjoying each other’s company. Street parties in particular. She was amazing.’Also in attendance were Portsmouth lord mayor councillor Tom Coles and lady mayoress Nikki Coles.

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Councillor Tom Coles said: ‘Sue worked tirelessly organising street parties and various charity events to creating amazing memories for both her customers and the local community. I know you have all chipped in to purchase this wonderful bench which takes pride of place in this garden. Sue took great care of this garden until she became ill after Christmas.’

Following the speech, the lord mayor led a toast in Sue’s memory. A group of local people and relations of Sue will be working to restore the garden to its former glory over the coming days, and the mayor is expected to pay another visit to see the results.