A pub closed for three years is already taking pride of place ahead of its grand opening as villagers rolled up their sleeves to bring the garden back to its best.
The Red Lion in Witley Road, Holt Heath, near Worcester is due to reopen as a bar and Indian restaurant thanks to the hard work of the family who have taken over - and villagers who want to see the venture succeed.
The business already has a new paint job and striking lion logo as work continues behind the scenes to prepare for the first customers. It is a world away from the former sight of the once empty eyesore pub when paint was flaking off the walls.
Villagers volunteered to help with the garden on Sunday as the team work towards a mid-April opening (although the official opening has yet to be confirmed).
Jas and son Sat, the owners, welcomed the support from the community including eight volunteers who helped with the garden.
Jas said: "The people who came in to help were absolutely brilliant. It is fantastic to get support from the locals. We are very thankful to those who turned up. Some of them even brought their own plants and tools."
As previously reported, the pub was acquired by new management after a family from Birmingham took it over.
When finished, there will be a pub, Indian restaurant, grill bar, children-friendly beer garden, play area and the car park, which has been blocked off, will return to use.
The new owner said: "With the response we have had from the locals, they are even more excited than we are. It has been closed for almost three years. This pub was the heart of the community and I hope to make it that way again.
"Teams of tradesmen are working to bring it back to its original glory."
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He also wished to thank the community for their 'encouragement and good wishes' on the Holt Millennium Green Trust Facebook page.
"With the support of the locals I would like to bring this wonderful place back into a place of pride for the local community," he said.
The Red Lion went under the hammer in July but did not fetch the minimum asking price, then £475,000 according to Cottons the auctioneers.
Many residents recalled with fondness what they said was the heyday of the once 'thriving' pub under former landlord, Derek Hine.
The pub closed in November 2020. A planning application has been submitted by George Windsor for two homes at the back of the site although a decision on the proposal has yet to be reached by Malvern Hills District Council.
Previous plans to demolish the pub and replace it with six four bed houses were rejected by planners after the pub was deemed to be an important community asset. However, a separate plan that would see the pub renovated was approved.
Several plans for the pub have been put forward since it closed in November 2020 and at one stage it looked as though the once-popular watering hole would be torn down to make way for housing.
However, planners at Malvern Hills District Council rejected the demolition plan saying the pub was an important community asset that needed protecting but did approve a separate plan that would see the pub renovated alongside new en-suite bedrooms.
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