A COUPLE are on a mission to bring a popular pub back to its former glory.

Landlord and landlady of The Wellington, Michael Macaulay and Lorraine Macaulay, both 50, have completed the first phase of the venue's new venture by opening refurbished rooms for guests.

The tavern, on Market Street, in Dalton, has also seen its upstairs function suite given a facelift in a bid to make the pub the town's community hub again.

Mrs Macaulay said: "We've been running the pub since January.

"It's owned by Craft Union and we've been working with the brewery to improve all aspects at The Wellington."

The couple revealed the tavern's rooms were not up to scratch, so the first port of call was to improve them as soon as possible,

Mr Macaulay said: "We're obviously based near Barrow and its shipyard," said Mr Macaulay.

"So we do get a lot of contractors coming from across the country."

The new rooms include single, double and king-size beds.

As part of the project, Dalton plumbers and locksmiths were used.

"Our main aim is to cater to visitors coming to the area by putting the pub back on the map and making it the community hub, which it once was," said Mrs Macaulay.

"We've completed our first project of massively improving each room and we've always gave the upstairs bar a new face."

The couple are no strangers to running public houses after previous experiences as the landlord and landlady for Dalton's Black Bull, which closed in 2017.

After leaving The Black Bull Hotel, on Tudor Square, they would eventually takeover The Royal Oak, in Greenodd.

The pair have huge plans for The Wellington now the function suite is up to code.

"This pub has been lacking the personal touch and we're here to bring that back to Dalton," said Mr Macaulay.

"We know the community from running previous pubs in the area and we want to bring a face back to The Wellington."

With plenty of autumn holidays coming up Mrs Macaulay said the venue is excited to host upcoming seasonal events.

"Now the function suite is open, we've got plenty of Halloween and Christmas parties booked.

"We're also planning some new cabaret nights and sportsmen dinners.

"We provide BT Sport and Sky Sports, so with the football season starting up, we're ready for the rush."

Since taking over the venue, the couple have employed eight staff, who are our all local to the Dalton area.

"Our philosophy is to look after the community."