A town centre pub has reopened after closing for 10 days to have a complete refurbishment.

The Waiting Room, on Fleet Street, opened on Thursday, February 29 with a party to showcase the redecoration and to celebrate the pub’s sixth birthday.

The celebrations will continue through the weekend with live music, DJs and chocolate fudge cake.

Roly and Aimy Hughes are the pub’s landlords. Roly said: “Yesterday on the opening day you could not wipe the smile off my face - it was amazing.

“The future feels really, really good. I have got good vibes about this place now that it has been all done up. 

“It needed it. It's looking more homely, more warm, and it is not looking tired.

“We have been managing this pub for a long time and now it feels like home - we know all the customers, and as soon as we came back, the customers flocked back.”

The pub has fitted new lights, carpet, furniture and a fresh lick of paint you can still smell in the air.

The pub has also introduced earlier opening hours, opening its doors from 9am every day in an attempt to draw more early morning customers into its fresh and brighter space.

The pub will also now close at 3am on Monday to Saturday, and midnight on Sunday.

Aimy thanked her staff, saying: “People are amazed at the amount of work that has been put in in 10 days.

“But I have got a good team behind me; everything I ask them to do they pretty much do it.”

Both Aimy and Roly agreed that the refurbishment has brought much more light into the pub.

They plan to keep the pub drinks-led, with its pool table and sports showing on TV screens saying the refurbishment has already brought new customers to the business to see the new space.

The celebrations continue this weekend with music from the 1960s onwards from DJ Roly performing until late.

Vocalist Penny Jane joins the festivities from 7.30pm on Friday, March 1, with The Corsairs performing on March 2 and guitarist Mark Woodruff performing on March 3.

In 2018, the craft union took over the site that was once Swindon's only dedicated LGBT venue, The Mailcoach, which had been in business there for 20 years.