The new landlords of a Bradford pub are hoping to hit the right notes to ensure the business has a bright future.

Wendy and Graham Hesselgrove took over the New Furnace pub on Halifax Road in Buttershaw two months ago, and say they have had a positive response from locals to the changes they have made.

They are now looking to make the most of the pub’s previously overlooked function room by introducing live music and weekly country and western-themed nights.

“It would be fair to say that the pub has had a bit of a bad reputation at times, and maybe been a bit run-down in the past,” said Mrs Hesslegrove.

“We wanted to make it more of a community pub, and there are already more families with children coming in. A lot of the regulars have been really supportive because they can see the amount of effort we’ve made.”

The pub had endured problems in the past with anti-social behaviour, but Mrs Hesselgrove says they have tried to stamp out the unacceptable behaviour to try to provide a happy and safe environment for their regulars.

“It would have been a real shame to see another pub in this area close, so we were determined to make this work. My husband and I are both Bradfordians, and we fell in love with the pub straightaway when we saw it,” she said.

The pub is hosting its first country and western night on Thursday, with a performance by vocalist ‘Snowy Robinson’. Snowy said: “Wendy and Graham are really trying to do something different with the pub to cater for everybody. People may have been put off going before, but I hope the night is a success.”

The new landlords are asking for other ideas on how else to use the pub’s sizeable function room, with open-mic, jazz and karaoke nights all possibilities for future events.

“It would be a shame to see it sitting there empty, the atmosphere could be great,” said Mrs Hesselgrove.

“This is a fresh start for the pub in a lot of ways, and we hope people continue to give us their support.”