‘Heart of gold’ - Tributes paid to a much-loved South Shields pub landlord following his death
Tributes have been paid to a South Shields pub landlord with a “heart of gold” following his death.
The popular landlord of The Last Orders pub has been described as the “salt of the Earth” following his death last week.
Robert Cowan, known as Robbie, passed away during the early hours of Friday, April 24 - prompting floral tributes to be left at the pub, on Stanley Street, in South Shields.
The 68-year-old had been running The Last Orders for around the last seven years and had become very popular with customers during that time.
‘A one of one’
Alex Ozobia, Amber Taverns’ Business Development Manager for North East England and East Coast Scotland, paid tribute to Robbie following his passing.
He said: “Robbie had been in the trade for decades and he was very much an old school pub landlord that everyone respected.
“He was literally the salt of the Earth as he was compassionate and had time for everybody.
“I was fortunate enough to know him as a colleague and there is no one else like him - he is a one of one and will be a massive miss to the community.
“Robbie meant the world to his customers, the flowers at the pub started accumulating on the Friday morning when news of his death broke which shows how loved he was.
“You’d have to travel far and wide to find someone who didn’t get on with him, he was a pillar of the community with a heart of gold.”
Honouring Robbie’s life
Alex also revealed that Amber Taverns is working to host a fundraising event to pay tribute to Robbie and help towards his funeral costs.
He added: “We’re in the early stages of planning something to honour Robbie’s life - he was very fond of the darts and pool at the pub so we’re thinking about doing something around that.
“At the moment, I’m thinking of hosting something like a 12-hour darts marathon or a pool competition and there will be a trophy for the winner in honour of Robbie.
“We’re also in contact with Robbie’s family over his funeral arrangements and as a company, we will be looking to contribute towards his funeral costs.
“Once everything is in place, we’ll be sharing more details so everyone has the opportunity to pay tribute to him.”
Details will be shared via The Last Orders’ Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/LastOrdersSouthShields.