A COMMUNITY pub that has experienced some difficulties in recent years has reopened after a huge renovation project.

With Lowton residents noticing the closure of the Church Inn pub in recent weeks, Admiral Taverns confirmed that this was a temporary measure as the pub was being refurbished.

The Newton Road pub had previously closed for 18 months during the pandemic, where there were fears that the building may be sold off and converted into alternative use, but after its latest period of closure, new landlords Esther Ryan and Jason Dennan reopened the pub on Friday, July 12.

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Inside the newly-renovated pubInside the newly-renovated pub (Image: Proper Pubs)
With the Church Inn reopening under Admiral Taverns 'Proper Pubs' division, £265,000 has been invested to transform the inside bar area, as well as the venue's beer garden and the building's paintwork and signage.

The Newton Road pub will also offer a range of premium drinks and bar snacks, and plans to host live music events, quiz nights, darts teams, and coffee mornings.

The new landlords, who have nine years' experience working in the pub industry, will also host several fundraising days to support causes close to their hearts.

The pub reopened on July 12The pub reopened on July 12 (Image: Proper Pubs)
Esther said: “Jason and I are absolutely delighted to be taking over The Church Inn – the pub looks fantastic already and we can’t wait to welcome all our customers, both old and new, into the pub to showcase the phenomenal transformation.

"Moving forward, we will be sure to support the community in any way we can, starting by raising money to have a lifesaving defibrillator installed as well as collecting money for the local food bank.

"Pubs are such a vital part of community life so we can’t wait for The Church Inn to become the hub of Lowton.”

New darts boards inside the pubNew darts boards inside the pub (Image: Proper Pubs)
Esther added said: “Opening night was thoroughly enjoyable for everyone and the feedback we’ve already received from local residents has been fantastic!

"It was wonderful to welcome all our customers, old and new, into the newly renovated pub and to show off its brand-new look.

"We can’t wait to continue showing the local community everything we have to offer at The Church Inn and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in due course.” 

The pub has a wide range of drinks on offerThe pub has a wide range of drinks on offer (Image: Proper Pubs)
Operations Director for Proper Pubs, added: “I’m particularly excited about the opening of The Church Inn, especially since it marks the opening of our sixth mid-market site!

"The team has been working exceptionally hard behind the scenes to complete the refurbishment and to ensure those final finishing touches are in place ahead of reopening in a couple of weeks’ time.

"On behalf of Proper Pubs, I’d like to welcome our fantastic community heroes, Esther and Jason to the pub and of course wish them the very best of luck in making it a vibrant social hub for local residents to enjoy.”

The newly-furnished beer gardenThe newly-furnished beer garden (Image: Proper Pubs)
Mr Gurney added: “The transformation at The Church Inn has been fantastic to watch and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the entire to team who helped bring this to life. On behalf of everyone at Proper Pubs, we wish Esther and Ryan the very best in cementing The Church Inn at the heart of the local community.”

Opening on Friday, July 12, the Church Inn will provide a prosecco reception and entertainment from a local soul singer. The pub will also offer drinks promotions throughout the week.