A village pub has been rescued from closure after a Castle Hedingham man stepped in to take the reins.

The Wheatsheaf in Queen Street, Castle Hedingham, could have been another forgotten village pub after the previous owner decided not to renew the lease last year.

But Nick O’Dell and his cousin, Adam Redgewell, spotted the former Hawthorn Leisure pub was up for grabs and bought it in February.

They closed the venue for five days to refurbish and opened on Valentine’s Day.

Nick says the romance of being a customer at the pub 20 years ago and returning to the village to find it up for sale enticed him to make an offer.

He said: "When we approached the company that owned the building, it was us or no one.

"We didn’t like the thought of walking past knowing it’s not open anymore.

"I know a lot of the business owners here already and we are all very much of the opinion that the more businesses there are here, the more reasons there are for people to visit."

See this week's Halstead Gazette for more.