A landlord, who believes he could be the youngest in Kent, has taken over and revamped his local pub in time for Christmas.

Kyle Blair took on The Black Horse in High Street, Bean, in March at the age of just 20 and has spent the past six weeks giving it a complete renovation.

He enlisted the help of builders to tear down the tired old-fashioned wooden frames around the bar and give the pub a complete makeover.

Kyle, who grew up in Bean and went to Bean Primary School, spent many hours in The Black Horse with his parents as a child and even worked there when he was just 14.

“I used to go around the pub when I was little kicking all the locals,” he joked. “They all remember me.”

Kyle was a semi-professional footballer for Welling United until injury ruled him out of the game at the age of just 20.

“I got ligament damage in my leg and I was told I would never play again,” he said.

That was just before Covid and since then Kyle admits he hadn’t been doing much until the opportunity to take over the pub came about.

He said: “If I hadn’t taken it over, it would have been knocked down and made into housing.

“It’s the local lad saving the local pub.”

The pub is the only one in the village and Kyle, now 21, said it provides a sense of community for residents.

“It’s got a real community feel,” he said. “I just love meeting people and giving them the opportunity to meet up.”

And he believes he may be setting a record as possibly the youngest licensee in the county.

He added: "I'm the youngest landlord in Kent. I got my licence when I was just 20 years old."

Since November 6, Kyle – who went to Longfield Academy – has transformed the place with a £50,000 makeover which has seen wooden frames around the bar area ripped out and major renovation work throughout.

He has also gutted the function room at the back and installed a separate bar for people hiring out that area, for which he charges £100.

He has also installed Sky Sports and created a golf society for customers.