Two friends hope to inject new lease of life into Prince of Wales pub in Havant

After working in pubs across Hampshire, Ally Brooker has taken the plunge and acquired the Prince of Wales pub, in West Street, Havant.

The 57-year-old has been hunting for her own pub for the past few months but nothing piqued her interest - until she came across the Prince of Wales.

Ally said: “I’ve worked in lots of pubs for lots of other people and I thought it was about time that I did it for myself.”

Following a quick turnaround, Ally and her friend, Nikki Brown who will be the pub’s manager, got the keys on March 16 and was open to customers the next day.

Nikki said: “We are hoping to bring back a lot of customers and bring in new faces as well. We’ve got the kitchen reopening hopefully within the next month so we’ll do discounts for local businesses and lunch deals.

“We just want to make it a family friendly, community pub again. A lot of people are really happy for us and are excited to see what’s coming.”

Sky Sports is also anticipated to be installed at the pub in the coming weeks, and the pair have confirmed they will continue to offer Wednesday night bingo which is a popular fixtre.

To celebrate the change in management, the Prince of Wales will be hosting a welcome party on Saturday, March 21 with live music, games and a raffle so punters have the opportunity to meet the new team behind the bar.

For more information about the Prince of Wales, click here.