13753/2/GAZETTE & HERALD: LEIGHTON Davis has given up a successful job as a retail manager and sunk everything into reversing the fortunes of a dilapidated town centre pub.

Mr Davis, 31, who grew up in Chippenham, is a former manager of a mobile communications store, but last month he turned his back on his career to embark on a life-long dream to run his own pub and restaurant.

The pub he is seeking to transform is the rundown Borough Arms in Gladstone Road, which was closed in May following the departure of former manager, Roger Nicholas.

Mr Nicholas, who last October boasted he would turn the pub into the South West's premier live music venue, left following the Folk Festival weekend and the pub has been empty ever since.

Mr Davis bought the pub last month, but admitted he was initially shocked at the state the building was in. The pub had been broken into and vandalised and Mr Davis needs to invest thousands of pounds on refurbishments if he is to open as planned in October.

He said: "When I first came in here and looked around I could have cried. The place had been empty and it had been broken into.

"The fruit machines had been raided, doors had been forced and pieces of the walls ripped out.

"There were even pickled eggs strewn all around the bar it was in a terrible state.

"The Borough had a reputation for being a bit rough, but over the coming months I'm planning to transform this place into a great restaurant, offering great, freshly-prepared food for the whole family," he continued.

"I'm going to re-name the pub the Gladstone Arms, after the road it is in and it will also have the first non-smoking bar in Chippenham.

"This building is in a great location, it has lots of homes being built behind it and Golddiggers opposite is about to be developed there is great potential to make it a success.

"It's going to be a big project and I admit I am having some sleepless nights, but it's always been my dream to run a business like this and I'm determined to make a go of it."

Mr Davis plans to use a clean, light colour scheme throughout the pub and designate the left hand bar non-smoking.

"There will be lines of tables, chalkboards advertising the specials and we're going to clean up the wood floor and make it really appealing," he said.

"I want people to feel at home, while enjoying great food," he added.

One of the biggest jobs is to gut the kitchen and install a brand new industrial kitchen.

"In the near future we're also going to landscape the garden, adding children's play equipment and a barbecue," he said.

"The way I look at it, The Bear and the Little George up in New Road have succeeded in revamping their pubs before me and I just want to do the same to another great town centre pub."