A COOKLEY pub traditionally at the heart of village life has new owners after recently being reopened.

Rob and Cheryl Surman now own the Red Lion after four months running the watering hole as tenants.

The Castle Road pub had been on the market for about 18 months and closed for about a year.

Mr Surman, 48, said: “Running a pub is something I have always fancied, like an ambition. I have never been in a position to do it before.”

He added that the pub used to be his local four or five years ago and he wanted to restore its place at the heart of village life.

He explained: “We just want to turn it back to what it used to be - a traditional family pub where everyone is welcome.

“It has been here since the 1800s . It has always been a focal point of the village and must be one of the oldest buildings here.”

Mr Surman, who also runs a double glazing business with his wife and lives in Kidderminster, explained that they were developing the upstairs area to live in.

He added they were bringing back darts and pool leagues, as well starting poker nights and Nintendo Wii competitions.

He said: “A pub is somewhere where people can get together and socialise. All the things that are dying out, we are trying to bring back.”

Mr Surman said they had employed two staff from the village and the locals were starting to come back to the pub.

He added: “We are pleased with the way things have gone. It’s just a nice place to come and have a drink, without any trouble.

“That is what we wanted to achieve and we have done it straight away, which is quite refreshing, really.”