A South African couple now call a Wiltshire village pub home having become the landlords five years ago.

Riana and Adrian Freak moved to the UK in 2013 and after managing several pubs, settled in Great Somerford in 2019.

The pair took charge of The Volunteer Inn in the village and have seen the pub through several challenges including the Covid pandemic.

Despite this, the pair have loved every moment so far and now feel as close to their local community as ever.

Swindon Advertiser: The Volunteer Inn can be found in the village of Somerford.The Volunteer Inn can be found in the village of Somerford. (Image: The Volunteer Inn)

“It has been brilliant and we are very lucky to have a very good brewery and the village and surrounding villages have been fantastic,” said Riana.

“They have supported us throughout the pandemic and now business has started to build again and we have done lots of events for the community to get people to come out.

“We have karaoke nights and quiz nights while also hosting discos and movies."

The 49-year-old landlady and her husband have learned the ethos of the pub and are happy with preserving the true feel of The Volunteer Inn to this day.

“It is an otherworldly pub and we pride ourselves on being a country village pub,” added Riana.

Swindon Advertiser: The fireplace inside of the pub.The fireplace inside of the pub. (Image: The Volunteer Inn)

“It is so nice to have an older pub with quirks as well as lots of personality with muddy paws and boots always welcome.

“Everyone is friendly and if you don’t know anyone when you arrive, by the time you leave you will know lots of people.

“The pub is more up our alley in comparison to South African bars and we think of the village as our home now.”

The pub, which dates back to the 1800s, brings in its fair share of punters for a variety of reasons.

“We get a whole mixture of customers as we get the holidaymakers that visit Wiltshire but we also have our regulars,” remarked Riana.

Swindon Advertiser: The Volunteer Inn serves a variety of pub classics on the menu.The Volunteer Inn serves a variety of pub classics on the menu. (Image: The Volunteer Inn)

“Over Christmas, we get lots of families meeting up as well as the diehard locals.”

The watering hole serves a variety of classic pub food while also having several ales on tap.

“We serve Arkell's Brewery drinks on draught but we also do seasonal ales throughout the year including Kingsdown Special.

“Sometimes we do cocktails in summertime at events but other than that it is the usual drinks on tap and in bottles.

“Our food is proper pub grub so we do everything from pies to burgers and everything in between.”