The owners of a beloved local pub that has just reopened said that they will be prioritising employing local people, as is the tradition of the establishment. 

Natalie Redfern, 31, and Daniel Redfern, 47, who are the owners of The Cherry Tree, have just decided to take on The Red Lion in Woodcote much to the delight of local residents. 

The pair got the keys to their new pub on Monday, September 23, and had a grand opening on Saturday, September 28. 

Aside from decorating the inside of the pub with lots of local features and local maps, Mr Redfern said that the couple is also hiring a team of those who live nearby. 

"We're employing some local people," he said. "We've already got our team pretty much together. We're trying to employ mostly people from the village where we can.

"We feel that this is important."

Mr Redfern said that he thinks that having people work for them who are from the village and who knows the area is an asset for them. 

"They would know people coming to the pub as well and maybe they would care a bit more about the Red Lion as it's their local pub," he said. 

He went on to say that they have a young man and woman whose grandparents actually owned the Red Lion till 20 years ago - the Law family. 

Both of them are coming to work for the pub, and their father who is called Russell actually grew up on the premises. 

Mr Redfern explained that the pair, and indeed the majority of their small family, are already a part of the Woodcote community. 

Three of their four children actually attend school in the area. The fourth, little Sofia who is six months old, was actually born on the bathroom floor of their other pub. 

"If you look out of at the window of The Red Lion, it faces the school so it's beautifully located," Mr Redfern said. "We want to restore it back to its former glory." 

Mr Redfern said that the couple plan to bring in a really nice menu using the same team they have at The Cherry Tree. 

The pair aim to use locally sourced produce as much as they can. These include foraged items, local suppliers, and anything they can that is good quality and local. 

They also plan to get their Christmas menu out very soon and are looking forward to taking dozens of Christmas bookings. 

"The opening will be a great way for people to come and meet us," Mr Redfern said. "We want to talk to them all about what we have in mind for the pub.