A PUB which only opened six months is already turning into the centre of the community.

The Hare and Hounds, located in Bowland Bridge, was opened in August 2021 by Simon Rayner-Langmead and Andrew Black.

The business partners have put a surge of life back into the pub and have been praised by the community for their high-quality service and welcoming atmosphere.

Despite taking on the business with restrictions still in place, the pair have managed to produce a high-quality bar serving local beers and locally produced food.

Simon said: “It’s been incredible since we first took on the pub.

“We got the keys in August and we really hit the ground running on this one. We had time for some renovations and we have some plans for the future.

“The two of us have spent many a night in the pub and we always talked about how we would run a pub if we got the chance to. We thought we could probably talk about it for the next ten years or just go out and do it. Then the chance to run the Hare and Hounds came up so we took it.

It’s literally round the corner from my house and I’ve known the pub for years, however it never really seemed to reach its full potential under some of the past owners.

“When I was a kid a family friend owned it and it was a great success but over the last six or seven years it didn’t do as well as we always thought it could.

“After lockdown people wanted to see a community centre again. We had a post office and shop in the area but both have closed, so people wanted a new place where they could meet and hangout.

“What we want to do is not just be a pub, be a centre of the community. We want to be able to supply them with newspapers, eggs, and milk. All the little touches people want.

“After two years of not seeing each other, everyone wants to get out there.

“I grew up in this area and I’ve worked in luxury hotels, pubs, restaurants and the Savoy in London. I moved back here in 2019.