A POPULAR Cricklade venue that was saved from housing developers by a local couple has officially reopened.

The Cricklade Club’s transformation into a café and bar was a roaring success as dozens flocked to try out new dishes and refreshing ciders on its first day of business.

Simon and Talia Maddison bought the building earlier this year when its original owner Sue Loder was given notice to quit after running a pub there for almost 20 years.

It had been closed since the end of January so that extensive redecoration and renovation work could be carried out.

The high street landmark will also include an events venue that will be able to hold parties and weddings for up to 200 people once work on the large function room is completed in a few weeks.

As locals relaxed in the sunshine, chatting with friends and feasting on locally-sourced meat and ales, Talia said she was delighted by the feedback she’d received from happy customers.

“We’ve had amazing feedback from customers who are glad that it didn’t go to developers," she said.

“We don’t want to take business away from the lovely cafes and restaurants that are already here, we want to enhance the area and support local businesses.

“It was very daunting taking over, Sue was like a national treasure and it was such a popular place. Simon’s done all the work.

“I was petrified and exhausted before we opened but I’m surrounded by such a good network of family and friends who have all pulled together to get this done.”

Talia’s nephew Charlie Rendell is the bar manager. He was very pleased with how busy the bar had been throughout the day.

He said: “It’s been really good. We opened at 8am and our first customer was at 8.45 so those first 45 minutes were a bit worrying, but then it picked up nicely and we’ve been really busy since then.

“It’s nice to get things up and running and I feel like it has a lot of promise. People have said that this is something Cricklade was crying out for and I think it’s going to be a great addition to the town.”

Daniel Fry was a regular customer when the building was a pub called The Club.

He said: “I used to come here every couple of weeks when the pub was open and played skittles.

“It’s a good thing that it was taken over, it’s so different now but in a good way.

“They’ve done really well, there’s a lot of new people here, the sun is shining, the food is excellent, the staff are unbelievable and the cider is fantastic. What more could you want?”

The venue is starting a weekly weekend summer supper club later in the month.

For more information, visit thecrickladeclub.co.uk