the Kings Head Reborn

The Kings Arms at Shouldham, opened to the public on Friday September 12, two years after it was closed down. Villagers and people from as far as Hong Kong, raised £150,000 towards the cost of buying the pub, with grants from the Department of Communities and Local Government, Pub is the Hub and the Geoffrey Watling Charity covering the rest of the £225,000 needed for the freehold.

Ian Skinner now manages the pub and will move in with his partner Abbie Panks, when work is completed.

Mr Skinner said: “There has always been a great community spirit here, so many people gave given up so much of their time to get this place up and running again. “Building work started here in March and finished last month, it’s now just about doing the final finishing touches, getting the staff ready and making sure everything is ready.

“The pub used to look a bit dirty and dingy, but the new colour scheme is really impressive.” Inside the pub, work has been done to move the bar and create more space by removing the stairwell. There will also be a cafe adjoined to the pub which is expected to be used by parents during their school run.

Mr Skinner said: “People had to travel a fair bit if they wanted to go to a pub or a cafe. “We had to prove that we are a community asset so we are offering people a pub, we are offering them a cafe and as well as that, we shall be providing school dinners for the school down the road from January.

“This will give the children fresh, locally sourced and very good value meals.”

visit: http://kingsarmsshouldham.co.uk