Owner of popular village pub near Northampton explains why successful boozer has gone on the market for £450,000

The owner of a popular village pub near Northampton has explained why it has been put up for sale at £450,000.

The Sun Inn in Kislingbury has recently gone on the market with Guy Simmonds.

Paul Huband, alongside four other families from the village, bought the pub off administrators in 2013 after it went bust.

Paul said: "The Sun Inn is regarded as the village pub, it's right in the middle of the village. It went bust and there were five families all local who put some money together and bought the freehold.

"None of us had any previous pub experience, we all have business knowledge and we basically set about creating a pub we thought the village would want and one we would like to go to and it's grown from there.

"We've all got other jobs, we were never doing it to make our fortunes. There was an element of philanthropy about it. Our intention was to put a bit of money into it and get it running.

"Ultimately, we wanted to make sure we had an asset there that was for the village."

In the last nine years, Paul, the other four shareholders, and staff have turned the pub into a success story, winning a Pub of the Year award and being recognised annually by Cask Marque accreditation.

Asked for the secret to the pub's success, Paul said: "Keeping it simple and making sure stuff is the right quality."

As well as keeping it simple, Paul said the Kislingbury community has supported them 'all the way'.

He said: "We've been supported by the community all the way. We wouldn't be as viable and successful as we are today without the support of the community of Kislingbury supporting the pub.

"It's very important [to have a local pub]. It provides a meeting place. "

Paul has revealed that the shareholders had a 10-year plan for the pub from the very start, which is why they have put it on the market.

He said: "When we originally took over we said we'll give it 10 years, which will be next year. So it's just a bit of a lifestyle choice [to sell], really. There is a hell of a lot commitment involved in running a pub. Life changes and moves on.

"Ten years down the line, it's a bit of a milestone for us and we thought we'll try and hand it over.

"If we don't sell it, we'll just carry on running it as we are now. There won't be any changes, we will just carry on. The business still does well and makes good money."

And if it does sell, Paul is happy to help with any transition to make sure the pub continues to thrive.

He said: "We'd like to help with the transition for any new owners, I think that will be the best way to do it if I'm honest.

"We're going to carry on living in the village so we want to see it continue to thrive. It's our sincere wish that everything carries on as normal, it will just be a change of person behind the bar."