THE end of an era at one Pendle pub is paving the way for the rebirth of one of the borough’s closed boozers.

Licencees David Johnson and Danielle Price have left the Admiral Lord Rodney after two-and-a-half years at the Colne pub, citing ‘a loss of trade to cheaper competition’ as the main reason behind their decision.

However, the couple will now take over at Foulridge’s New Inn, which has been closed for the last three months.

After bidding a fond farewell to Colne, David, 28, said they hoped to return the country pub to its former splendour.

He said: “Basically, it’s down to money and a loss of business to cheaper competition. We had an absolutely fantastic two-and-a-half-years and we were sad to leave, but with our business heads on we knew we probably wouldn’t survive the winter.

“We’re from Foulridge, so it’s like we’re going home. The New Inn has had a succession of managers and has been closed for three months. Danielle was a chef there for 10 years, so we’re going to reintroduce food and get it back to how it used to be.”

Prior to becoming landlord at the Admiral Lord Rodney, David worked as a chef in the Army and ran his own plastering firm.

He and Danielle said goodbye to the Colne pub by hosting an afternoon of live entertainment on Saturday.

A variety of vintage Raleigh Choppers and much larger machines, including Harley Davidson motorcycles, were on show.

Crowds flocked to pub where there were stalls, children’s rides and a tattooist, who set up a special shop.

All the money raised from the event will be donated to Help for Heroes, which supports wounded soldiers and their families.

The Admiral Lord Rodney will re-open under new ownership at the end of the month.

David and Danielle will relaunch the New Inn, in Skipton Old Road, on October 15.

The pub is named after Admiral Lord George Rodney (1719-1792), a renowned 18th Century British naval commander. His finest hours came during skirmishes with the French and Spain fleets and later during the American War of Independence.