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Punters drink to new lease of life for reopened pub
A pub which locals fought to save has been reopened to the delight of regulars.
People in Portchester feared they would lose the Linden Lea after owners Enterprise Inns gave managers David and Sharon James 28 days to leave the property.
They had run the pub for 15 years.
Customers feared the building would be turned to flats and urged Enterprise not to sell the site.
The company has now leased it to the Wycombe Pub group, which have employed new manager Kieran Klaus to take over.
He now hopes to give the pub a new lease of life to lure punters back.
Mr Klaus, 32, said: 'It's nice to see a pub opening in these difficult times.
'It had been shut down and I do like a challenge.
'Hopefully when word of mouth gets round we can bring it back to a community pub.
'Community pubs bring the whole community together.'
Kieran is planning to organise discos and karaoke evenings.
'With a bit of tender loving care this place can go a long way,' he said.
'Any customers who have got suggestions for the place, I am more than happy to take on board.
'The pub has been the heart of the community for years.
'It's a place where people meet and chat and go out with old friends.'
Kieran has been working in pubs for 11 years.
He has had previous jobs in the trade in High Wycombe, Reading, and most recently, Aylesbury.
He moved down to Portchester to take over at the Linden Lea, and he said he likes the area. 'It's nice,' he said. 'I'm impressed.'
Customers have welcomed the pub's revival. Charlie Skates, 21, from Redwood Drive in Portchester, was a regular before it closed down.
She said: 'I'm happy. You see other pubs round here and you don't feel safe. But I can come in here and have a drink and feel comfortable.'
And Shaun Wright, 39, from Ernest Close in Emsworth, said: 'It seems very strange that they have leased it to another brewery and it's carrying on as a pub.
'I haven't been up there since I heard. It was always a convenient location for me to meet up with people.
'It's possible that I will go there. The whole idea is to have a community pub there. An ongoing community pub has got to be better than a housing development.'
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Friday 10 February 2012
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