The Mallard pub in Southport is celebrating its first birthday this March with everyone invited to their birthday party celebrations.
The pub, on Station Road in Ainsdale Village, has been transformed since it was taken over by publican Danielle Hunt last year.
The venue was previously known as Champs sports bar, and before that, The Railway.
People are invited to The Mallard first birthday party from 7pm on Saturday, 8th March 2025, where they can enjoy plenty of “food, singing and dancing”.
Danielle Hunt said: “One whole year since we got our keys and thought ‘what are we doing?’
“What a year it has been, and absolutely no regrets, we love our village pub
“Thank you for being on this journey with us
“To celebrate we will be having our first birthday party on Saturday 8th March (the day we opened our doors)
“Join us from 7pm for food, the fantastic Kim singing post-modern jukebox style and lots of dancing.”
During her first 12 months, Danielle has transformed and rebranded the pub, giving it a completely new name.
When she first set eyes on the former Champs sports bar, Danielle was initially underwhelmed. She said: “The pub just couldn’t have worked how it was, and it certainly wasn’t somewhere I could move the team into. So, with our small but mighty army, family, friends, and a dozen mood boards, we shut the doors and set to work.
“We went home, sat down, and thought about what we could do and change to be able to call it our own. We had a vision, albeit an ambitious one, but we knew, with Punch’s support, hard work, determination and our family around us, we could make it work.”
Thanks to her clear vision, and support from her partner, Danielle managed to close the doors, gut the interior, and rebuild it from the ground up, in just nine days.
The renovation was extensive, involving new stone flooring, decorative wallpaper, dark oak furniture, and updated lighting and fixtures. The result is a warm, inviting atmosphere with muted hues of sage green and cream – a stark contrast to the former sports bar’s bright, bold colours.
The kitchen also received a complete overhaul, ensuring the pub could offer a high-quality dining experience. This transformation allowed Danielle to create a space where her team, whom she considers family, can thrive and be proud of their workplace.
Danielle said: “We were lucky enough to have an excellent food following in our last pub, and we wanted to continue this at our new premises, but we needed the right environment to execute it. We had to close the kitchen for five weeks to see our vision come to life, but I’m so proud to say we did it!
“Collectively, we’ve created a menu for everyone with freshly made dishes sourced from local suppliers. With hard work and consistency, we knew we could make it work.”
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