A BRADFORD man says it is a “dream come true” to open a bar in his home village of Thornton.

Stephen Lawton, 42, and wife Tracy, 43, have converted the formerly named JJ’s into a stylish, high-end, friendly cocktail bar.

The Bronte Nook - which opened last night - will serve beer, wine and small plates of food as well as signature cocktails.

Stephen worked in bars when he was younger before going on to succeed in management at Advanced Supply Chain Group Ltd. Earlier this year, he decided to take a step back to chase his dream of being a bar owner.

He said: “We have completely renovated the place. The village needed another classy bar.

“We won’t serve food initially then in the new year we will start with small plates like sandwiches etc.

“It has always been a dream of mine to open my own place.

“We have always talked about it in the past we were just waiting for the right opportunity, and this is it so we decided to take the leap.

“We took over the place in late September and have been putting our stamp on it before opening at the perfect time just before the busy Christmas period.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on Wednesday night to provide a Covid update amid a rise in Omicron variant cases.

Mr Johnson was joined by England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance as he introduced Plan B measures to battle a rise in cases.

The NHS Covid pass is to be made mandatory in England this coming week for nightclubs and venues where large crowds gather.

These are unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people.

The passes will still work for people who have had just two doses of a Covid vaccine, although this will be kept under review.

Some might say the new restrictions make it a hazardous time to open a new bar, Stephen is hoping The Bronte Nook won’t be impacted too much.

Speaking on when he first heard the news, he added: “I was very nervy.

“Luckily, we are safe for now as the restrictions won’t affect us for the moment.

“With January usually a quiet month in the calender, I think the Christmas time will give us the perfect opportunity to get established during a busy period.”