GAZETTE & HERALD: A BARMAID'S dreams came true when, overnight, she became landlady. Helen Brougham, 33, was working at the Jolly Huntsman, Kington St Michael, when she heard that the owners wanted to sell the pub.

She made an offer but continued to work as a barmaid while negotiations continued. When everything was sorted, she told her colleagues and customers that she was the new landlady and the next day she moved in and opened up just three hours later.

"It was like getting on a very fast train that's the only way I can describe it," she said.

"But it's been brilliant although it has been hard work. It's been a big step going from working behind the bar to owning the pub."

Swindon-born Mrs Brougham has worked in pubs since she was 18. She runs her own printing business Typegrafix in Kington St Michael.