A community-led pub which was saved by a worldwide appeal has a new chef.

Sarah Bell, who owned Four&Twenty in Corbridge, has taken on a new challenge and is now working at The Gun at Ridsdale.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarah was forced to close pie and mash shop Four&Twenty in January this year.

"I've been waiting for something to come along," said Sarah.

"I came up here and I just fell in love with the place.

"This opportunity is just wonderful."

She added: "There's loads of love up there, everyone is really passionate about it."

Sarah said she plans to turn the pub into a "first-class foodie venue", using many local suppliers.

Meals on offer include traditional pub fare such as fish and chips and pie and mash, but Sarah has also ensured there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

The Gun at Ridsdale, located on the A68, was purchased by the resident-led Ridsdale Community Group in May 2020 after raising £210,000 as part of its ‘Pub On A Thread’ campaign.

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

Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera series, shared the Gun’s story on social media which led to pledges to its Crowdfunding page from all over the world.

It initially opened as a pub last August but extensive building work was completed during the winter lockdown when they were forced to close.

Since re-opening in May this year, the pub, and its four en-suite bedrooms, have been busy welcoming guests.

Upcoming events at the Gun include a beer festival on October 8 and 9, which Sarah will be providing a variety of street food for, and a Christmas fayre.

They are also hosting regular events such as bingo and quiz nights.

Chairman of the community group John Bassett said: "We're now at the stage where apart from some final external building work, like the rendering, the pub is actually running and functioning as it should.

"The lettings room have been absolutely amazing, we're up to 90 plus capacity in our rooms for lettings. The meals are doing really extremely well, and not for two or three nights of the week, but every single day of the week.

"We're not only a pub, we're a community hub. And the emphasis has got to be on keeping it a community hub and trying to basically provide things for everybody, not just a few.

"I'm really happy with the way it's going. There's been ups and downs, but we're really quite pleased."