Hello ladies...Newbury town centre pub gets £80,000 makeover to make it more attractive to both sexes

A Newbury town centre pub has had an £80,000 makeover, designed to make it more comfortable and attractive to women, as well as men.

The King Charles Tavern in Cheap Street closed for a fortnight to enable the refurbishment.

Manager Grace Webber said: "It's been completely refurbished - all the old furniture has been replaced; the floor's been resurfaced and varnished and there's new lighting.

"We think it looks more female friendly and we want to encourage more women."

Although the pub is in the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Good Beer Guide 2022 with eight real ales on tap, Ms Webber said: "It's not just a boozer; we do great food and we want it to be a place where you can come and have a glass of wine or a cocktail as well as a pint."

The refurbishment is the first new look for the Grade II listed building, which is more than a century old, since it came under the stewardship of Josh Khan, who also runs eponymous village pub in Great Shefford, eight years ago.

The pub, known locally as the KC, was also named CAMRA's West Berkshire pub of the year in 2016.

Mr Khan said at the time: “For me this was like winning the World Cup – it’s such a great feeling. We’ve managed to create a community pub right in the town centre, which was our main goal, but also maintaining the quality in our ales and our food.

“My feeling is that a pub should be a pub, where people of all ages can come to drink, socialise and get to know one another."