A local pub in Foleshill has been saved after one of its regulars stepped in to run it.
When pub company giant Greene King decided to sell the Stag and Pheasant in Lockhurst Lane in Foleshill its future was thrown in to doubt.
And after a businessmen bought the pub there were fears one of Foleshill’s few remaining ‘locals’ would be bulldozed.
But one drinker at the pub had other ideas.
Sunil Adi, 30, has been whetting his whistle at the Stag and Pheasant for 12 years.
After being introduced to the new buyer through a mutual friend he has now signed a five-year lease to fulfil his dream – running his own local pub.
“I’ve been drinking here since I was 18 and I’ve always wanted to take over a pub,” the former President Kennedy School pupil said.
“Everyone needs a boozer, somewhere to go to have a drink – a local pub.
“I like to go to a local where I’m treated in a nice way and I know everyone.
“These are places where the community can socialise together.”
After buying the premises for £330,000, new owner Jaz Somal has now decided to spend £5,000 refurbishing the pub which he says dates back to at least 1880.
“I bought the building as an investment really,” the 40-year-old said.
“Greene King were basically washing their hands of it because the way the industry was going. They didn’t see it working.
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:55 am