BARMAID Debbie Young is celebrating putting her name above the door of The Jovial Monk two years after she tarted pulling pints.

The Hampshire-born landlady took over the licence at the St Andrew’s Ridge watering hole after joining the team behind the bar part-time.

“I started working on Sunday lunchtimes and one evening a week, but I loved it so much that my hours grew," she said.

"When the previous landlord decided to move on, I jumped at the opportunity to take over. This is an amazing pub in the centre of a great community.

"I love running The Jovial Monk. It’s the only proper pub this side of Swindon. Here you can come in, watch the football, see your mates and have a laugh.”

The Jovial Monk was built and opened by Swindon-based Arkell’s Brewery in 1999, to support the northern expansion of Swindon at St Andrew’s Ridge.

Since then the community has continued to grow and flourish with yet more development expected with around 400 new houses being built across the road from the pub.

“More houses means more customers,” said Debbie.

"The new residents will find themselves in the centre of a ready-made local community, with the pub at its heart."

In fact Debbie wants the pub to become home to lots more local groups, from the local WI to yoga or other exercise classes.

“We’ve got a huge conservatory which I don’t charge community groups to use," she said.

"There’s no community hall at St Andrew’s Ridge, but The Jovial Monk is as good as a village hall.”

She has also re-established the pub’s pool team and is now calling for locals to come forward and set up a darts team.

Debbie spent much of her childhood travelling around the world with her family while her father was in the army before settling in Swidnon, where her mothers family were based.

Debbie trained to be a nurse and bar work helped to fund her education.

“I trained as a nurse, and in fact working behind a bar funded my studies in the early days,” she said.

Debbie will be doing Sunday lunches and pub food at The Jovial Monk from September.