A Hereford café is to say its last goodbyes to its loyal customers, after eight years in the business.

La Madeleine, on Church Street, announced last week that the time had come to say goodbye to the business and that it would be closing on Saturday, October 12.

The French-inspired café has been owned by Ed Pitts, his wife Ellen, and Mr Pitts' mother, Jan, who has been overseeing the daily running of the café for some time.

Mr Pitts, who is also responsible for the catering at Hereford College of Arts, said that with his workload, and with his three-year-old son, Harry, and the recent addition of his month-old son, Wilfred, it felt like the right time to pass the site onto another business.

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He added that fatherhood has been a big factor in the sad decision to bid farewell to the business, but said it feels like the right time for the family to "close that chapter".

Mr Pitts said that the family had loved being a part of the nestle of independent shops and cafes on Church Street, adding it was "the nicest place to be in town", and the family felt lucky to have their time on the street.

As a family-owned business, Mr Pitts said that all the staff who had worked in the café over the years had "become like family", and along with their supportive and loyal customer base, they had been "absolutely fantastic".

However this isn't the end for the city centre site, as the business has previously said, there is an "exciting new restaurant" taking over, which will be announced in due course.