One of the regulars at the Robin Hood in Mousehold Street summed up its appeal when he said that he did not go there for the drink, but for the company.

This is one of your old-fashioned community pubs where everyone knows everyone else, and the staff look after the customers and worry when they don't show up.

They don't have a television in the bar but they do have darts, dominoes and cribbage.

Landlady Diane Gillick, who took over about six months ago, said: 'What I wanted was for it to be a family pub, where you can bring children and have a drink. It's an old-fashioned pub with darts, cribbage and dominoes. People can come in and have a nice quiet drink, sit on their own, or chat to somebody else.

'It's a TV free zone. A lot of free people who may be on their own don't have anywhere else to go.'

While she has worked in the pub trade for decades, this was the first pub she had ran as landlady when she took on the lease last October, after it had been closed for several months.

She said: 'I worked here about 12 years ago as a barmaid. I loved it then but there was a pool table stuck in the middle of the pub, which I got rid of when I took it on.

'I've been in the pub trade 43 years, and previously managed The Cottage, The Leopard, worked at the Heath House and The Leopard and at numerous pubs in Suffolk, where I'm from. I'm the youngest of 14 children from a family in Peasenhall, near Halesworth.'

When she took over she changed the colour of the walls and the curtains and plans a makeover of the outside seating area.

'I love it here. We have some really fantastic customers. I don't put up with any rubbish or anything to do with drugs. If people want a fight then they're gone. I don't suffer fools gladly.'

The Evening News has been urging people to return to pubs in our Love your local campaign. Times are tough for many publicans, but she said she would like to think there was a future for pubs.

She added: 'But we need for the supermarkets not to be able to sell such cheap booze, as it's taking away the whole pub atmosphere. I've got the lease here for five years so hopefully it will last.

'The beer garden is being refurbished and hopefully by August-time the kitchen will be up and ready, so we can start doing bar snacks ready for the winter.'

The pub also boasts live music on Saturdays, karaokes on Sundays, has two darts teams on Monday and one on Tuesday, and is trying to set up a cribbage team, but there are no plans for a TV.

The landlady's daughter Cassie Sibley serves behind the pub and Mrs Gillick thanked regular John Stork for help in decorating and doing the garden. 'Without him I would not have ben able to open,' she said.

To see more stories from the Evening News' Love your Local campaign visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal.