The Bull at Hellesdon, Evening News Pub of the Week. Photo: Steve Adams

When The Bull at Hellesdon closed for a period last year, there was an outcry among the locals.

This old-fashioned boozer definitely means a lot to the people of Hellesdon and landlady Sim Knight knows it.

She said: “This is a really important pub for people in Hellesdon and a true community pub. You get old people and young people coming in here.

“Everyone was so upset when it closed. I have run other pubs before, but I never knew such community spirit before.”

She also runs King’s pub in King Street in the city centre, which is also an Enterprise Inns pub, but she spends most of her time at the Bull, where she is helped by assistant managers Emma Ives and Charlotte Jueno.

She added: “Running a pub you need to serve good beer and say hello and goodbye to everyone, even if you don’t know them. I’m like a mum to a lot of the customers.”

The pub certainly seems like a home from home. Walking through the door it feels like you are entering someone’s house.

She added: “It’s like Sim’s house, an extension of my front room.”

The mother-of-two previously worked as a manager at Essence in the city centre, was deputy manager at Yates, and was a DJ in clubs in her youth, at Belmontes in Prince of Wales Road, now Mojos.

She was running King’s when she was offered the Bull. She added: “King’s is a massive football pub and has a huge football following. The Bull is more a true community pub. We have events here and are holding a big family fun day on the Bank Holiday weekend later this month.”

The pub sponsors the Hellesdon football club, and also has two Sunday football teams. It’s also popular with netball teams and a brass band that practises at the nearby community centre.

The pub serves four real ales and there’s a big screen to watch the football and the Olympics on.

The toilets are now being refurbished and new garden furniture has arrived. They also plan to build up the food trade at the pub.

The Evening News has been urging people to return to pubs in our Love your Local campaign.

To see more stories from the campaign visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal.