DESPITE recruiting his mother, step-father, half-brother and partner in his first three months at Wanborough’s New Calley Arms, landlord Jon Beeden now has two aunties on the clock too.

Jon, 23, took over the village pub in October after entering into a partnership with his mother, Barbara Lockwood.

Talk at the time had been of the influence football would have on the future of the boozer, with Jon’s ties to Chippenham Town and half-brother Sam Collier’s management at Shrivenham.

However, football has been kept on the back burner, as Jon strengthens the family ties on the Ham Road business and gets to grips with his new lifestyle as a landlord.

“It’s been hectic in a positive way. We have been welcomed into the community. It’s been really friendly and they have warmed to us,” said Jon, who previously managed Schuh in Swindon. “We are thoroughly enjoying it, but it’s a business at the end of the day and we are all working really hard.

“There has been a big change in lifestyle for all of us. It’s slightly different from managing a shoe shop, the fact it’s 24/7 was a shock to the system. It’s a non-stop event and we are enjoying every minute of it.”

Although getting Sam behind the bar has been described as pulling teeth, Jon is still running New Calley Arms as a family affair. His two aunties, Barbara’s sisters, are sharing work in the bar and the kitchen, which has become something of a success for Jon, who now considers himself a bit of a chef.

Food has become perhaps more important to the business than football, with a progression from bar snacks to a bulging menu and full meals for punters in the evenings.

Live football is still at a premium in the pub, with only those matches on freeview channels being shown, but Jon said the balance is still right for those locals who have frequented the Arms for decades.

“We try to get it (football) in. It’s a huge part of our family and we chat about it with every person who comes through the door, asking us how we got on,” said Jon.

Finances are also looking rosy but he admits success is not being judged just yet.

“We are doing perfectly well on that front. Obviously it’s a long project and not something we are to turn around overnight, but we are working towards that.”