A NEW micropub and gin bar has opened to fill the void left by the closure of a village pub.

Knuzden's Cabin End pub closed in April but Clair Brown and her husband Wayne were sad to see a such a community asset gone so they have opened the Knuzden Tap Gin and Ale Emporium.

Clair says that they have been amazed by the response of the community but want locals to know they do not only specialise in gins.

She said: “We have been finding out that some people have been put off coming in to the pub as they think that we are only selling gin.

“But that is not the case we are also selling real ales and we have two different ones in every week and change them.

“They are coming from local breweries and the reaction we have got from them is great.

“We also have the traditional favourites such as San Miguel and John Smiths and then fridges with lots of cider and then there are the gins.”

Clair used to work in a bank while Wayne had a scaffolding business before taking on this new role.

She said: “It is totally different to what we have done before with our previous jobs so it is a bit alien to us.

“But we have just enjoyed it so much and we love it.

“I am so happy to run it and we just want to get it busier.

“We have got a range of products for everybody and it is somewhere to come and socialise.

“When the Cabin End closed then people had to go to elsewhere but we want to bring them back to the area and stay closer to their homes.

“It is nice for people to be able to catch up with friends and this sort of thing brings the community back together again.

“We have found people who are telling us that they have not seen someone for 20 years so it is great to get them to meet up again.

“We had just my husband and I and another person working for us but because it was busy we have had to add another member of staff”

“The support by the neighbourhood is amazing and we did not expect anything as much as we have got and it has been so positive so far.”

Clair says that the community hub has been a success.

“You just don’t know what is going to happen in the future as we are looking for other areas to expand our business.

“It has proved a hit so far and these kind of thing are on the rise around the country.”