A former Shepherd Neame pub has reopened as an alehouse, serving craft beer and Kent ciders.

The Fountain, next to Sittingbourne Railway Station, has been taken over by Calum Darcy and Malcolm Winskill who have renamed it the Fountain of Ale.

With four real ales on tap at any one time, alongside Kentish Pip cider from Canterbury, the pub also offers live music, sports and events.

Calum has more than 10 years’ experience as a publican across the south but this is his first time working in Sittingbourne after moving to the town two years ago.

The 30-year-old said: “We opened last Friday, July 7 and the response has been really positive.

“We’ve had Camra (the Campaign for Real Ale) come down and they were very positive too.

“We want people to know we’re open all day from 11am until 11pm and later on Fridays and Saturdays.”

The pub will be offering 30p off pints for Camra members and plan to start brewing their own beers within the next year.

Malcolm, Calum’s business partner, has run the award-winning Three Hats in Milton Regis for 14 years with his wife Caoibhe so has plenty of experience under his belt.

The pair took over after the pub’s previous landlord, Christian Diamant, sold the lease to run another pub in Whitstable.

They are also looking forward to the town-centre regeneration works as they think it will bring in more customers, despite the disruption caused by ripping up the road outside their front door.

“In the short term there’s a possibility it’ll affect us but overall in the long term it’ll be quite good for us,” said Calum.

Their plans include expanding their selection of ales. They also have a pool table and have many events lined up for the summer, including Pink Floyd tribute band Relics taking to the stage on Friday, August 11, at 9pm.