THE owner of a 'traditional' and 'community' Northumberland pub has reflected on their first six months in business.
In Spring, Joanne Flatman and her husband Adrian took over the lease on Haydon Bridge's Railway Hotel pub after the previous tenants went into administration.
Joanne says, after "cleaning up and cracking on", the former bar manager at the village's Anchor Inn and Adrian, the old chef at the same pub, had the Railway up to scratch in just eight weeks, opening in May.
"Nobody was going (before we opened). I feel like it's brought the community back together," she said.
As part of giving back to the village, the pub raises money for local charities such as the Scouts and, more recently, the village's New Year's Eve fireworks display.
"We'll have a pint draw every Friday night, and we do complimentary chicken and chips. We also do a pub quiz on the first Tuesday of every month, both to raise money for the local charities," she added.
In terms of food, the establishment, now a separate entity to the hotel that shares the same building and name, now serves café items like "fries, paninis and scones", as opposed to restaurant food, as they have previously.
"It's a local pub for the local people, so you need to be able to accommodate the drinkers.
"People aren't offended because they're not expecting fine dining; they are sitting, drinking and having a good time, so it doesn't really matter."
Although the proprietors plan to redecorate in 2026, Joanne has said they don't want to change too much of the historic pub's feel.
Joanne said: "I think we're just going to keep it the same; everybody seems really happy. It was more of a bistro than a bar before, (the previous owners) concentrated more on the food than the local drinkers.
"The pub's a pale blue colour at the minute, but we are looking at making it warmer and more welcoming. An old traditional pub for local people."
Share