NEW LIFE has been breathed into a former rural village pub once threatened with closure.

The Gun at Ridsdale located on the A68, formerly known as the Gun Inn, was purchased by the resident-led Ridsdale Community Group in May after raising £210,000 as part of its ‘Pub On A Thread’ campaign.

More than 2,000 voluntary hours have to date been put into the refurbishment, cleaning and painting of the premises.

The bar, toilets, kitchen, restaurant, car park, gardens were all refurbished by the working group, residents and shareholders before its opening on August 27.

Chairman of the community group, John Bassett, said the building provided the basis for a thriving community while revitalising the local area with new amenities.

“The village are relieved and pleased that the pub has been saved and is in the hands of the community.,” he said.

The group has relaunched its campaign under the name ‘Mission to be the Best Community Pub in England’, and aims to provide various local facilities.

Visiting the pub on Wednesday morning Terri Harper, who rents out a holiday cottage and has lived in the area for 17 years, said the Gun at Ridsdale was a huge boost to local tourism.

“To have somewhere to sit down and have a cake and a coffee is a fantastic amenity for the local area,” she said.

“This pub has so much history and it was a shame to see it falling into decay.”

Sylvia Fairrie made her second visit to the pub on Wednesday since its opening and praised the community’s spirit to transform the prominent building.

She said: “I was so glad when the new plans came out.

“Something had to be done to the pub as it was attracting nobody and that concerned us all.”

Residents launched a campaign to purchase the pub after it was feared the building would be renovated into a house with nowhere to meet or socialise in the village.

John Bassett added: “The older generation would probably feel more isolated and the younger people with nowhere to feel part of a community.”

The refurbishment of the pub is ongoing with the upstairs letting rooms expected to be completed in October. “It’s all down to the community spirit and togetherness of everyone involved to get this done,” Sylvia Fairrie said.