Pub to reopen doors 12 months after its closure

The owners of a Forest of Dean pub have pledge to reopen the venue which has been closed for more than a year.

Luke Carroll, operational manager of Valiant Pub Company, said work has taken place to revamp the Golden Lion in Cinderford.

Improvements will include a revamped beer garden, a new kitchen, signs, furniture and a redecoration.

He said: “We look for pubs that are community oriented.”

“We love investing in towns that maybe haven’t seen investment for quite some time. We’ve got about 69 pubs now. And this is the next one. It’s due to open in February and there is lots of work to be done.”

“There will a full interior and exterior refurbishment,” said Mr Carroll.

“The beer garden is going to be stripped back and made a really pleasant pace to sit in the summer. We want to kind-of give it that premium feel. We will be offering food, good value drinks and make it a family-oriented pub.

“The goal is to make it a community hub that is kind of a safe space for everybody. There’s quite a lot of pubs that aren’t currently open in the Forest of Dean. So what we want to do is just bring a place where everyone feels welcome.”