AN historic Ribble Valley pub is re-opening its doors after a £250,000 revamp.

The Black Bull had been at the centre of village life in Rimington until it closed its doors in January this year.

Now, the inn – which has been on the site since the 1700s – has been refurbished and will be re-opened in December by business improvement specialists Steve Hodgson and his wife Katherine Lachance.

The couple immediately fell in love with the building when they rode past it on their tandem bicycle earlier this year and, despite having no catering experience, they vowed to restore it to its former glory.

Construction work began in August and is due to be completed early next month.

Steven said: “In a village such as Rimington, when a pub closes it has an immense impact on the community.

“We want to not only bring that community spirit back to the village but also welcome visitors from outside the region, whether they are a family looking for somewhere with a friendly atmosphere to have lunch or a couple celebrating a special occasion.”

Newcomers to the licensed trade, Steve and Katherine previously ran an interim management and management consultancy business, based in London.

Katherine is American and met Steve, who was born and brought up in Blackburn, when she came to England to work in 2002 and they married in 2003.

The couple enlisted the help of hospitality special-ists, Premier Cru, to create the French country-themed restaurant and recruited French chef, Mickael Aiglemont.

There will be four distinct areas to the inn, including Le Pub, with a log fire and a range of local ales, Le Restaurant, with a formal dining area, Le Shed, a timber-framed building including a function room accommodating up to 80 guests and La Petite Salle, a private dining room accom-modating two to six guests.

Steve added: “We want to recreate the village pub atmosphere where locals and visitors can enjoy a pleasant drink and also to feature a restaurant where customers can experience good quality food, prepared by our new French head chef, in comfortable and elegant surroundings.”