A “family” pub in Wiltshire is set to celebrate 60 years of serving customers.
The Kingfisher pub, on Hungerdown Lane in Chippenham, is celebrating six decades of trading this year and staff are holding a party to mark the milestone on Saturday, August 31.
Landlady Katrina Allen, known to many as Trina, has run the venue for the last six years and said she and her employees have worked hard to make sure the pub is a “safe, family-friendly” space for the community to enjoy.
She said: “I’m very proud of my pub, all of us have worked very hard to turn it around and improve the reputation it had.
“Now it’s very much a family, community pub, it feels like we’re one big family because it’s safe and everybody knows everybody.”
The Kingfisher has faced numerous challenges in that time, including the pandemic, and Ms Allen said navigating those was one of her proudest achievements.
She added: “Not only is it my home, it’s an achievement that I’m very proud of because I’ve managed to bring it up to where it is now.
“The fact that we’re still here after lockdown, and all the upheaval with rising bills and everything else, the lights still go on every day, people still work here, and I have a very loyal group of regulars.
“I’ve got no inclination to go anywhere else and shall see my days out here before making sure it’s handed over to a capable person.”
Gemma Niblett, who has worked at The Kingfisher for five years, believes the reason for this success is the fact the pub is a “welcoming place for the whole community”.
Regulars range from 18-year-olds to the pub’s oldest patron, 93-year-old Cecil.
Ms Niblett said: “My mum used to work here when I was younger and I love the pub, it’s just nice because there’s old and young, a really big age range.
“If I could sum up the pub it would be family and a safe place.
“We make sure people get home safely if they come in, we care and we want to make sure people leave feeling comfortable.”
The celebration party on August 31 will start at noon and will be headlined by an Elvis tribute act.
There will also be circus acts, face painting, a yard of ale competition, and food stalls.
This will be followed by a garden music festival the following day.
All proceeds raised will go to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
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