Take a look inside this cosy village pub near Northampton which has just spent a 'significant sum' on a stylish makeover

Take a look inside this cosy village pub near Northampton which has just had a ‘significant’ sum of money spent on a stylish new refurbishment.

Nik Maund, 43, and his mother Carol, 67, took over at The Live and Let Live pub in Harpole back in August after the previous landlady, Miranda Richardson, departed.

Nik, who left his job as a deputy headteacher, and Carol, who has come out of retirement, work at the pub full-time but are helped out by multiple family members in what they describe as a ‘proper family affair’.

Speaking to the Chron, Nik said: “It was a bit of a daunting task when we walked in with that realisation that it’s over to us now. It’s been really well-received.

“I was a deputy headteacher at a school in Bedford, then this came up, living in the village I thought I’d try something different and give it a go.

“I had an idea of what I felt it could be. We had a vision, which we are starting to get there with. The vision is to make it a community hub. We’re trying to make it somewhere where everyone feels welcome.

“We’re not focusing on food, while we still offer food. We offer lunches, but in the evenings we are more focused on being a wet-led pub.

"Yes it’s for the village but equally we’re welcome to anyone who wants to come in.”

Over the last month the Maunds and pub owners, Stonegate, have invested a ‘significant sum’ of money on a refurbishment.

Nik said: “It’s ours now. We’ve put our mark on it.

"We’ve added the benches, stud wall, upcycled all the tables, bought a few new ones, new chairs, extended seating areas, redone all the floor at the back of the pub. All to improve the feel.

“Our next step is to try and tackle the garden area and convert some of the outbuildings into more covered seating area, certainly for the summer. It’s a nice big garden and we want to make it even better.”

Asked how important a community pub is, Nik and Carol said it is ‘essential’.

They said: "It’s essential. We’ve been amazed at the support we’ve had, absolutely amazed.

“Everyone knows things are tough but actually people still want to come to places together and socialise, whether it’s a coffee and a cake or a few pints, so we’re trying to give them the best of everything in that sense.

"We’re getting really good custom. People are saying they’re happy. It’s our customers’ opinion that matters. If we’re getting it right we like to think the proof is that they’re coming back, which they are.”

With many pubs and restaurants closing their doors due to spiralling costs, Nik and Carol said splitting the bills as a family have helped.

The pair said: “The bills are not as bad as we thought they might be, they’re significantly nowhere near impacting us as we thought they would. We’re doing this as a family so that has helped us a little bit.”