KEVIN and Caroline MacDivitt met in the Carter's Rest pub in Wroughton 15 years ago but had no idea they would end up running it.

After a lifetime of working as a legal secretary, Caroline was bored of her job, and Kevin, who had taken several different career paths including working as a lorry driver and delivery driver, had never found his vocation.

So the couple decided to jack in their jobs last year and turn their hands to the pub trade. But they couldn't believe their luck when the Carter's Rest, the pub where they met and had their wedding reception, became available.

Kevin said: "We were just fed up with our jobs and decided to try something else.

"We were about to sign a deal for an Arkell's pub. But this had been our local for so many years.

"We had our wedding reception here 13 years ago and we even met here.

"My wife was born in Wroughton and I moved here with my parents when I was three.

"We had been drinking in the Carters ever since we were old enough.

"It has been part of our lives for most of our life.

And since we took over a year ago it has been going fantastically well."

Caroline, 41, and Kevin, 50, celebrated a year at the Carters on Saturday.

To mark the anniversary the couple decided to have their own beer brewed.

They asked Pewsey brewers the Three Castles to concoct a special tipple for them, which they plan to keep permanently on tap at the pub.

"We are a big real ale pub and wanted to have something a bit special," said Kevin.

"Three Castles took a brief of what we wanted, then called us back for a tasting and we really loved it.

"I don't think we'll ever get tired of working here. We see more of our friends than we did before, because they are always in here anyway."

They organised a big party for all their friends and family on Saturday to celebrate a successful year running the Wroughton pub.

During the year they have served almost 170 different brews and were named regional runner-up in the Campaign for Real Ale's regional pub of the year competition.

"We love everything about working her," said Caroline.

"I guess you could say it is romantic to come back to work in the place we met and it's our local too, so we couldn't imagine anywhere better to be.

"We had a fantastic night celebrating our first year here on Saturday.

"It went very well, we were very busy and full of all our friends and locals and we sold three barrels of Carters Best."

Anthony Mulcock, director of the Three Castles Brewery, said: "A few of us go up there drinking. It is nice to be able to go out somewhere and drink our own brew.

"Kevin and Caroline have already got a couple of our beers there.

"Then they came up to have a brewery tour.

"They are doing really well, so when they asked if we could brew them something special we were delighted."

Kevin and Caroline's regulars have already drunk their way through the three nine-gallon caskets of Carters Best Bitter delivered to the pub for Saturday and are awaiting the arrival of the next batch, which will only be sold in their pub.