A couple who have owned a pub since 2015 are back behind the bar after leasing it out for three years.

Eric and Helen Gaskell, 66 and 63, run the Gatekeeper Inn in Etchinghill near Folkestone, which has recently reopened following a makeover inside.

The pair purchased the pub eight years ago when it was known as the New Inn. They leased the venue out from 2020 until 2023, renaming it the Gatekeeper Inn as their last name means the keeper of a gate or road in Anglo Saxon, they say.

Mr and Mrs Gaskell decided to start pulling pints once again at the Gatekeeper, after the leaseholder called it a day, and the couple sold their other establishments.

“When we purchased the Gatekeeper Inn we had two other pubs,” Eric Gaskell said.

“All we ever wanted was to own our own freehold. The pub came up for sale when it was known as the New Inn.

“it had been shut for about 18 months. It was starting to fall into disrepair.

“It needed a lot of work but we opened it in May with a catchphrase ‘may the thirst be quenched’.

“In February 2020 we leased it out because we had bought another freehold which we were concentrating on.”

Earlier this year, the couple had to decide whether to sell, or run it themselves.

“Trying to sell pubs in this current environment is not easy with the cost-of-living crisis. We decided it would be better for us to take it back on and run it ourselves.

“It is not like selling a house which can take a few months, it can take several years.

“Also trying to sell a closed business is almost impossible. You want to show it is a thriving and economical business to run,” Mr Gaskell said.

After a paint job inside, the pub has reopened, with the couple living upstairs.

“We have been very excited about it,” Mr Gaskell said.

“We were a bit apprehensive at first but we have grasped the nettle and are enjoying it.

“We focused on getting the pub open as soon as we could but are still moving in properly upstairs.”

He added, the community have been very supportive following their opening but a few do not know they have owned the pub since 2015.

The Gatekeeper Inn is currently shut on Mondays, open on Tuesday for drinks, and the rest of the week for food and drinks.