The new tenants of a historic Pembrokeshire pub have pleasantly shocked locals after giving the place a new lease of life in just ten days.

Llyr Francis and Paula Phillips have taken over the Gate Inn in Scleddau.

In a whirlwind makeover they have repainted the interior from its original pink into a calmer cosy grey and moved furniture to make a better flow through the pub.

(Image: Western Telegraph)

Their furniture rearranging has also led to the creation of three distinct areas of the pub, a games room with pool table, darts board and gambling machine, a cosy snug with an open fire and a casual dining area, all with the newly arranged bar at their centre.

They have also installed a new large screen TV and Sky so that customers can enjoy the rugby and football.

Llyr and Paula decided to take on running the pub alongside their day jobs at a local garage and farm.

(Image: Western Telegraph)

“Llyr’s family farm changed from dairy to beef so he lost his milking hours,” explained Paula, who lived next door to the pub as a child.

“We wanted to do something together. This came up and we thought ‘shall we do this’. We wanted to spend more time together. We are both sociable people. We thought this was perfect.

“We have had lots of compliments, with people saying ‘if there was anybody who should take over a pub it should be you two'".

Llyr and Paula used to come to the Gate to play darts so knew the pub fairly well. Since they took over, they say that trade has picked up and that the response of the locals, and new customers, has been very positive.

(Image: Western Telegraph)

“The response from the locals has been lovely they have made us feel really welcome,” said Scleddau local Paula. “And there have been people coming in who I’ve never seen before in my life.

“There’s not been an evening where we have thought ‘this has been a bit quiet’ and people have loved the new look.”

As well as a revamp, the pub’s menu has been refreshed, offering bar meals, all cooked by Paula, for under £10 and Sunday roasts from £14.95.

The couple are also putting on different events such as a Halloween children’s party and quiz, hot dogs on bonfire night and turkey tournaments before Christmas.

The pub also has three darts teams and two pool teams.

The couple now plan to turn their attention to the outside, they want to redecorate the exterior and renovate the beer garden before the warm weather next year.

“The pub has always been the hub of Scleddau,” said Paula. “We hope to continue that.”

The Gate Inn is open from 3pm on weekdays, excluding Mondays, and from midday on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit Gate Inn Scleddau on Facebook.