A HISTORIC pub in Hullavington, which was saved from closure by residents, has been taken on by award-winning landlords.

Jo and Matthew Lumb, 39, took on the Hullavington Arms, previously known as the Star Inn, in October and plan to transform it into an award-winning pub at the heart of the village.

“The Hullavington Arms is our third pub and we’ve moved here from the Langley Tap in Langley Burrell, where we spent six years and won several awards,” Mrs Lumb said. “We are hoping to raise the profile of the pub as much as possible and reintroduce things like cask marque's to the ales as that’s really important to us.

“We came from a brewery owned pub, so to have a freehold is a step up for us and we want to make it as good as possible. The renovation work is ongoing but we have put around £70,000 into the pub so far to bring it up to scratch.”

Most of the pub’s interior has been refitted since the takeover last year, with the pub boasting a new bar area and a tea room for the spring and summer time which the couple have named the Bagless Tea Room.

“We have tried our best to link the pub closely to the airfield before the community lose it completely, so there is a lot of artwork revolving around the aviation theme,” she added. “We want to make the pub the heart of the village, as well as attract people to the area.