THE owner of a popular Cumbrian pub is celebrating after marking 15 years of business. 

Carol Blamire took over at the Aikton Arms in 2009 and hasn't looked back since, having found her calling in the food and drink industry.

Having been born and grown up in Aikton, a village close to Wigton, the opportunity to purchase the local pub was too good an opportunity miss for Carol, when it hit the market and was struggling to sell. 

The 45-year-old worked a summer in France on a ski resort and realised that she wanted to cook for a living, and after working in a Carlisle bar, she made the decision to return home and purchase the pub. 

Speaking to the News & Star, Carol said: "One day at my parents my Mam mentioned in passing that the pub  was struggling to sell and that was it, my mind was made up!

"I’d always gone here as a child for meals on a Sunday night and it was always busy and everyone knew each other. This is what I wanted to do."

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Like many other businesses, the Aikton Arms has faced significant challenges in recent years due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis. 

Carol said: "In 2020, I remember thinking this will be the best year yet for business but then we were ordered to close and I couldn’t believe it. 

"Eventually, we were able to trade again by doing takeaways which were really busy and then outside dining started the following year.

"The support from everyone during this time was fantastic, it really kept me going.

"Now we have the cost of living crisis, I’m finding this one of the most difficult times for the pub. People are definitely spending a lot less, costs are spiralling, my electricity bill has almost trebled from pre-Covid and food and drink prices just keep going up.

"But thankfully the phone just kept ringing and this year has really seen a turnaround in trade."

She concluded: "Without the support of the local community I wouldn’t have a business.

"It’s as simple as that."

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