IT'S everyone's dream to own their own pub.
And now, dedicated villagers in Wiltshire have made that dream a reality - after taking over their only pub to save it from shutting down.
The King's Arms (formerly The Muddy Duck) in Monkton Farleigh, Wiltshire, has been open for 150 years - but it was facing closure after its current landlords struggled to keep it afloat.
However, the landlords have now agreed to let the villagers, led by pub regular Joy Spiers, take over the establishment for six months until the lease runs out and a new landlord is found.
Upon taking over the pub, the villagers brought back the watering hole's original name - the King's Arms - after it was changed in 2013, sparking outrage and even a boycott, despite the nearest other pub being a mile away.
The village's longest-standing resident, 83-year-old Phyllis Thorne, fittingly served the first customer on Thursday evening.
Joy, who has lived in Monkton Farleigh for the past three years, said: "It was amazing, we opened at 7.30pm and it was immediately three people deep at the bar. We ran out of glasses and change.
"We closed at 11pm when the last few stragglers went home. If nothing else it shows people there really is a local interest in the pub and locals will support it under the right management.
"It was very tiring, I worked in a bar at university, but it was a cocktail bar 20 years ago."
She added: "It happened by accident and everybody has got completely behind the idea.
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"We thought that taking it back from the Muddy Duck would bring back some of the villagers.
"We are hoping that by showing there's local support for the pub it will increase the chance of a sale so we are not left with a boarded-up pub."
Villagers feared the pub - which is said to be the most haunted in Wiltshire - would follow in the footsteps of the much-loved village shop, which closed down in 2014.
As a result, a team of around 20 volunteers have all committed to at least one shift over the coming months - and the bar, which will no longer serve food, will be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
One villager Rebecca Latimer-Sayer, 39, said: "I think one of the reasons we bought our house was because there is a school, shop and a pub close by.
"The pub is somewhere to meet local people, when we heard the shop was closing it was quite upsetting, but when we heard the pub may be going we were devastated.
"As soon as Joy suggested taking it on I jumped on board quite quickly.
"It's important to keep it in the village, it needs a pub."
The rescue bid has the backing of bar operator Punch Taverns which owns the pub.
A spokesman said: "The current publicans have decided to give notice to leave the pub. Until the notice is complete, the local villagers have been given the opportunity by the current publicans to run the pub on a more limited offer.
"We will soon begin our recruitment process in order to find a long term publican."
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