Regulars have expressed their sadness after a pub landlord announced he will be leaving the industry after nearly 50 years.
Ivan Greensmith has been behind the bar at the White Lion in Bramcote Village for almost 14 years and before that has worked at pubs in the city centre, Wollaton, Clifton and Ilkeston.
He had his first taste of the bar trade at just 14 years old when he helped out at a club in Nottingham.
Ivan, 60, said: "It's a fantastic pub and hopefully will continue for many years to come. It really is the heart of the community and that's exactly how we wanted it to be.
"The pub has not changed. We deliberately didn't change it. We have decorated and put new bars in but still kept it to the original old pub as that's what it is.
"There aren't many pubs that haven't been messed about with. It's still very much the hub of the community."
The White Lion, which is believed to have been built around 1750, is known locally as the "Top House" as it's the highest pub in the area.
While retaining the history and character, there was one major improvement that Ivan made. A kitchen was installed allowing them to serve proper homemade food at the pub instead of sandwiches.
Ivan said: "We get involved in all things local. During the lockdown we gave away over 4,000 meals. At Christmas I do a reading at the church and they bring their organ into the pub to do the beer and carols night.
"We also have an Age Concern coffee morning. They meet up for a chat and we give them discounted teas and coffees."
As he heads towards semi-retirement, Ivan, who turns 61 in April, added: "If I signed another contract it would take me until I'm 67 and I don't want to be lugging barrels around then.
"The brewery have been brilliant at finding a replacement. A temporary manager is coming in to run it and potentially they might take it over."
Locals at the pub, in Town Street, said how much they'll miss Ivan.
One said: "You are a complete legend Ivan. We love your pub and you are going to be a hard act to follow for the next landlord. Hopefully that person will have as good beer taste as you."
Another, commenting about the announcement on the White Lion's Facebook page, said: "Very sad news. You helped turn it into a proper pub once again, serving good food, and you will be missed. "
Ivan's first foray into the pub trade happened as a 14-year-old when his mother worked at a cleaner at reggae club Ad-Lib in the Lace Market in the 1970s.
He recalled: "I started going to help her. The manager was finishing at 3am and then having to come in to bottle up in the morning so he taught me how to do it and clean the beer lines.
"It was a huge place, five different bars. I was going in on Saturday and Sunday mornings."
A few years later when he was old enough he started doing shifts at the Grey Mare, in Farnborough Road, Clifton, a pub which closed down in 1998 and was replaced by a care home.
In between his stints at pubs Ivan, whose wife Linda is a nurse for the NHS, tried other jobs as a butcher and in catering but nothing appealed to him like life behind a bar.
"My wife says I'm the only one who goes to work smiling - it's the only thing I've ever been good at. I've tried other jobs I've not been very good at them. But put me behind the bar and that's been my stage."
He believes that pubs generally must have rent reviews to survive after the catastrophic impact of lockdowns over the last two years.
"There's got to be a better deal as you can't continue trading 30 percent down but still paying 100 percent of the rent - that's not just me, that's industry wide. A lot of pubs are going to have rent reviews if this continues," he said.
"People have got used to buying their beer from supermarkets. During the first lockdown a lot of people built pubs in their back gardens - I've seen some fantastic ones."
His plans to spend some of his spare time helping the charity Pulp Friction, which works with young people with learning difficulties.
"I worked with them during lockdown and I've worked with them over the years. They have their social functions here - it's the sort of pub they can come in where no one's pointing or looking at them. They are treated exactly the same as everyone else which is how it should be."
Sunday will be his final day and he'll end his time there with a "low key" leaving do with acoustic duo Half the Battle.
Ivan said: "We gave them their first gig in Ilkeston 23 years ago and they're still going now so it's like full circle, from 16-year-old boys playing their first gig, wide-eyed in a pub packed full of their parents, brothers and sisters, to come back here seeing me off."
Once the dust has settled over his departure he'd like to return for a pint. His rule has been never to return to other pubs he's run but the White Lion is the exception. "It's my local," said Ivan, who lives just a few minutes walk away.
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