A North Herts man annoyed by high street banks closing in our area has written a poem slamming faceless corporate entities for shutting such vital cogs in our community.

Brian Burke, who is the respected chairman of Letchworth Rugby Club, penned a paen to the closures in Letchworth and Baldock by bean counters who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Following the doors on Barclays Bank shutting on Station Place - to go with 'bankless Baldock'' nearby, renowned balladeer Brian was moved to pen his scathing composition in verse.

Read on for Brian's excellent expression deriding corporate greed at the expense of communities in North Herts.

The Baldock Banks 

There once were two banks in Baldock

One was Barclays and one was Lloyds

And you know how much we like bankers,

About as much as we like haemorrhoids.

Then Lloyds put out a touching advert,

That filled the directors hearts with pride,

Saying over the past 200 or so years,

We have always been at your side...! 

But then they put out an announcement,

Just as the music to a crescendo rose,

That due to lack of local footfall, 

The Baldock branch would have to close.

It's funny because when I went there,

I always had to queue,

But of course you can trust a banker,

And Lloyds would never never never lie to you!

Chorus

What a load of, what a load of,

What a load of, absolute bankers! 

So that left Barclays as the last bank standing,

And as to them loads of old folk were going to change,

Cause they didn't want to travel to Letchworth,

Came a notice that really seemed quite strange.

Never mind there are 3,000 houses,

That are planned for Baldock's poor little town,

We are following that black horse and running out,

And this branch will now close down.

 Within hours of the place actually closing,

They took out the hole in the wall,

And now there are just two empty buildings,

And no sign of a bank at all.

Yes they've both gone a long long long ways away together,

We Would like to thank them for all their help and care,

And not really wish them to the devil,

Because there's already more than enough of them down there.! 

Chorus 

What a load of, what a load of,

What a load of, absolute bankers! 

So now Baldock is bankless 

And more so is the pity 

That the disease has now spread 

To the first ever Garden City 

And Barclays and Ebeneezer 

They were both proud Quakers

And now there are no banks but plenty of pubs 

Now that really is a shaker!!! 

By Brian Burke