Hoping to breathe new life into village pubs
Pub landlords are bucking the trend as they open for trade instead of closing like many other bars.
Katie and James Genever re-opened the Bertie Arms, in Uffington, over the Easter weekend.
While Gillian Walker and Nigel Theodore are set to open the doors of The Whistle Stop, in Tallington, today.
The move to open the doors of the pubs comes as figures released by Camra show that 29 pubs a week across the UK are been closed.
Both sets of landlords hope that the businesses will become focal points for the communities.
The Whistle Stop closed for trade at the start of January.
Miss Walker, 38, said: “We used to go past the pub quite regularly and we heard that its lease was coming up.
“We thought that it was too good an opportunity to miss. When we got it we did a revamp costing around £10,000.
“We are really, really excited and we have put a lot of effort into this.
“We are hopefully going to be a meeting point for the people of the village.”
Mr Theodore, 40, is to be a chef in the kitchen.
The pub will open from 7pm.
While Katie, 43, and James Genever, 42, have been running the Bertie Arms since April 15.
The pub closed in January and since then a refurbishment has taken place.
Mrs Genever has worked in the pub trade before.
She said: “It’s the only pub in the village and we hope to be a focal point. I am very excited and we have had a fantastic response.”
At present the Bertie Arms in not doing food. This is to change.
Both pubs are free houses.