A young woman has taken over a historic village pub where she first started working aged just 13.

Hannah Scullion, now 27, has been running Aldington’s Walnut Tree Inn, near Ashford, since the start of December after replacing long-time landlady Karen Frith.

She began washing up at the 14th century site during her school years and says she cannot believe she is now in charge of the Shepherd Neame pub.

“My mum knew the previous landlady Karen and she used to work here during the day so during the school holidays I would come and wash up,” Miss Scullion said.

“It led on from there. I started washing up when I was 13 or 14 and one day one of the waitresses didn’t turn up so I got asked to waitress.

“After that, I would do waitressing and washing up and when I was 18 I started on the bar.”

After getting her personal licence and cellar management qualifications, Miss Scullion says she got to a point where she could not progress any further so took on the nearby Dine at Quarry House cafe.

But she says her time working at the Walnut Tree filled her with confidence so taking on the village’s only pub “has been a lovely transition”.

She said: “One of the mums of a member of staff here has told me her daughter looks up to me as someone who started working here at 13 and now runs the pub.

“It proves you don’t have to get the top grades in school, you don’t have to go to university.

“You can still be ambitious and get what you want, even if school says you can’t.

“I cooked at the cafe before so it’s a big change to not have control of the kitchen anymore, but it’s all going in the right direction. Aldington is a really supportive network of people.

“I’m also all about supporting local so a lot of our meat produce is from our farm which my partner runs in Smarden. We also have a friend who has cattle so I’m going to buy beef from him.”

Miss Scullion reopened the Walnut Tree under her management on December 1.

“Everyone was so complimentary and the support was amazing,” she said.

“It needs to cater for everybody, it is the village pub and that’s all I ever want it to be.

“I want people to be able to come in here after a dog walk in their muddy boots, it doesn’t matter – we’ll sweep and mop, just come in and have a lovely time.

“And with the restaurant, because it has a separate entrance, you can come in and have a lovely meal and get a bit dressed up.”

Mrs Frith pulled her last pint at the Forge Hill site in November after 22 years at the site.

The mum-of-two said she wanted to spend more time with her new husband Trevor, who she married in August, but said she would sorely miss her regulars.