Family's emotional farewell after 15 years at village pub near Lancaster

A family have thanked all their customers for their support after they retired from running a pub near Lancaster after 15 years.

Geoff, Debbie and Ashleigh Cann have left the Dalton Arms at Glasson Dock after their final day on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Thwaites-owned pub is now closed, and the brewery is marketing it for sale.

"Regrettably the Dalton Arms is no longer open," said a post from the Cann family on their Facebook page on Tuesday.

"As a family we wholeheartedly wish to thank our wonderful customers who have visited us over the previous 15 years for your support and encouragement."

The Canns held a leaving party at the pub on Friday.

"Just wow! What an incredible night last night turned out to be!" they posted afterwards.

Geoff Cann pictured in 2023 with a giant pumpkin during a 'Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin' competition for Halloween that year!

"Thank you to absolutely everyone who came to support us on our last ever quiz night! Thank you for lovely cards and gifts you've brought us!

"It's so amazing to know how much you all care. We are going to miss seeing you all on such a regular basis but thankfully we will see most of you around the village still.

"I hope you all had a great night with us, and your heads arent hurting too much! Mine is a little tender

"And if anyone has any pictures from last night please share them with us!

"Once again. From Geoff, Debbie and Ashleigh. We thank you, we appreciate you, and we will miss you."

On August 3, they posted:

"Well, it's almost our time go! What a 15 or so years it's been. We've definitely had our ups and downs, but overall I think as a family, we've done the very best we can to provide a warm and welcoming pub for our lovely little village.

"We've made some incredible friends over the years and we are truly going to miss each and every single one of you. The kindness and friendships you have provided us all has been a godsend and we cannot thank you enough."

The Canns announced their intention to retire from the pub earlier this year.

Andrew Buchanan, director of pubs and brewing at Thwaites, said: “After the current operators made the decision to exit, and with lots of careful consideration, we've decided that the best future for the Dalton Arms is as an independently owned pub or other local business.

"While a tenancy model is no longer the right fit, we won't be placing any restrictions on the sale, giving a new owner the opportunity to continue operating it as a pub if they choose.

“We'd also like to thank the current operators, who have done an excellent job since taking on the Dalton Arms. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for the pub."