Life has come full circle for The Crown Inn's general manager, Rhona Bill.

Rhona is now managing the Stanwix pub that she lived in as a child, when her mum Pam ran it. She said: “My mum ran pubs all her working life. I lived at The Crown from the age of 11 to 16 in the late 80s and early 90s.”

When Pam retired through ill health in 1992, and the Bills moved out of the Crown, little did Rhona think she’d be back living there with her own son almost 30 years later.

The pub business is in Rhona’s blood. Throughout her childhood she grew up in pubs with Pam running venues in locations as diverse as Lancashire and Majorca, Stornoway and Stirling.

Rhona, 44, juggles looking after five-year-old son Harvey, with the responsibility of running an award-winning pub and praises assistant manager and mum-of-five girls Angela McVelia and the rest of the team for giving her such vital support in the business. “I am very lucky that we have a great team at The Crown. Everyone works really hard to make sure we provide our customers with what they want. It really is a community pub with something for everyone and is popular with all ages,” she added.

The pub used to be a small hotel which was demolished and rebuilt by Harry Redfern and was ran as one of Carlisle's State Management pubs between 1916 and 1973. The courtyard has been redesigned and its main focus is a mural depicting the history of the area and pub, showing the state management scheme.

Rhona said there is great value pub meals available, and various dietary options including slimming specials.

They have also signed up to the Chancellors' Eat Out To Help Out Scheme.

Their beer garden is in a modern courtyard complete with wall heaters and tables with fire pits.

Rhona's most memorable moment in her three years as general manager was winning the best turnaround pub within the first year of opening.

The pubs real ale selection is changed throughout the year and is very popular with their locals.

There is frequent entertainment every month with a wide selection of local artists and bands.

Rhona said one of the main challenges that they have faced within the industry is getting ready to reopen after the lockdown restrictions. They made sure that they have followed all the guidelines to ensure they have a safe environment for all their customers.

She said: "We have had excellent feedback from customers saying how safe they feel, which makes it all worthwhile."

She said the best thing about running a pub is bringing the community together.

However, the worst thing has been having to close for three months during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rhona's recommendations for the perfect hangover cure is: "Start all over again, we open at 12!"