ONE of the area's most popular pubs is set to re-open after undergoing a facelift which cost more than £100,000.
The Strawberry in Abbey Road, Barrow, will be unveiling its new family-friendly look this Friday to the tune of jazz and swing music in a celebration which also coincides with its 150th birthday.
Husband-and-wife management team, Beth and Zane Dawson, have championed the make-over which took around 12 days to complete.
Mr Dawson said: "There has been lots of investment in the area recently so we pushed really hard to get some for ourselves.
"The refurbishment will hopefully give us a nice little boost.
"We have got a nice reputation for being a safe place to go so we want to keep that going.
"We are close to home for many families, meaning they don't have to worry about taxis and getting home and it's nice to be a local pub in the community.
The pair have been running the pub for about three-and-a-half years and are very passionate about making sure it has plenty to offer locals as well as visitors.
Nearly £18,000 worth of visual equipment has been purchased and installed in the popular watering hole and the management team are keen to capitalise on the potential audiences the new TV's and sound systems can bring in.
Mrs Dawson said: "We want to be the first choice for people to come and watch sports in.
"We have launched Live and Local where we hope to get in as many local live acts as possible and make use of the sound system and we are also hoping for national acts too."
The venue will host a popular national Pink Floyd tribute act on September 22.
Deputy mayor of Barrow, Councillor Tony Callister, will cut the ribbon at the grand opening on Friday.
The Dawsons will open the doors at 5pm and are encouraging as many people as possible to come and take a look around their new and improved venue which they say has been changed "from top to bottom".
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