Landlords at Murston’s New Inn celebrated its smart new look by hosting a launch party.

Couple Sam Drury and Keiron Parrish took over the reins of the Shepherd Neame pub in May and undertook a major £130,000 refurbishment project with the help of the brewery.

In just three months, the pub has gone from drab to fab with new timber flooring, a decked garden and the odd lick of paint here and there.

The new publicans bring a wealth of trade knowledge to the new venture and say they are undaunted by the challenges running the business may bring.

Mrs Drury, 43, said: “I was working as an estate agent and Keiron was working as a machine technician, and we both wanted to do something together which we felt passionate about.

“I have worked in pubs off and on since leaving school and Keiron managed a country pub in the Elham Valley near Canterbury for several years, so he has lots of experience.”

Jonathan Neame, the brewery’s chief executive, was on hand at the launch party to welcome people and present a £500 donation to the Sittingbourne and Milton Regis branch of the Royal British Legion.

The pub will run a number of special events in the coming weeks, including a ska and reggae band on Friday, December 19 and a meat raffle every Sunday.