Siggy’s Cafe says farewell and thank you to loyal Biggleswade customers

Keith Siggins, 61, made the devastating decision to close Siggy’s Cafe on June 1 after he found himself no longer able to pay the rent.

The hardworking owner of the Hitchin Street business was hit hard by the pandemic, and hopes other traders won’t be wiped out by the impact of coronavirus.

Keith said: “Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years, even if they’ve only been in there once - at least I got to speak to them.

“It was a lovely little cafe and had some real characters who used to come in. It was like a community.

“We were even mentioned in Australia; people had relations there [and told them about us] so when they came over here they wanted to go to Siggy’s for breakfast!

“It’s been an absolutely fantastic 12 years.”

Keith first went to Siggy’s - or Lucy Mays Cafe as it was back then - as a customer, but was asked by the lady who ran it, Gwen Hill, if he wanted to become the new owner.

Keith had been an RAF chef for 20 years, so finding his way around a kitchen was a doddle. After six months of working at Lucy Mary he officially took over, and Siggy’s Cafe was born in 2008.

Keith said: “It was a greasy spoon cafe and no two ways about it. I wanted it to be like the ones I used to go to when I was younger, with breakfasts and mugs of tea and coffee - none of those fancy lattes and frappuccinos!”

Keith was helped out by Lin, who had been a staff member at Lucy Mays Cafe, and his granddaughter Eloise, both of whom his customers will greatly miss.

Keith would like to say a big thank you to them, as well as the businesses on Hitchin Street for their friendship, Osman from Mead End Chip Shop for his support, and anyone else who helped to buy his furniture, equipment and crockery, which he had to sell.

Keith said: “I’m devastated, a lot of people are devastated. They are not customers, they are friends.

“I’m going to miss them more than anything.”