A SOUTH East Cornwall pub that closed five years ago, despite a campaign to save it, is now due to re-open.

Local people have pitched in as the St John Inn in St John on the Rame Peninsula prepares to open its doors over the August bank holiday weekend.

The pub was bought in June by Rob and Gill Berry ‘as a place to spend the last working years of our life and make our home and business for the foreseeable future.’

Gill said: ‘From the first day we put our offer in, there was huge interest.

‘We finally took possession on June 21 and have had overwhelming help from the locals since.

‘On the first day, we had people we had never met clear the path to the back door which was laden with freezers, toys, junk and who knows what.

‘They also set about with chainsaws and petrol strimmers clearing the three-quarters of an acre grounds.

‘An advert was put on Facebook for help to paint the inn one evening and a dozen locals turned up and completed the job in three hours.

‘We have now had a new cellar fitted as there was still beer in the lines from when it shut five years ago.

‘We’ve decorated inside and out, bought new items for the bar and we are now ready to open on the bank holiday Saturday.’

Gill said the kitchen requires too much time and money to be opened yet: ‘But when it does we intend selling good old-fashioned pub grub.

‘We want the pub to be a traditional pub with a good atmosphere and food as an afterthought and not the main attraction. As the pub has been closed for five years, we will wait and see what the regulars want from us and the pub and we will try and oblige, so long as they don’t want technology, TVs, internet or karaoke!’