Thousands of pubs across the country leapt at the chance to reopen their doors from July 4 after the government said they could – but one Norfolk watering hole decided to be a bit more cautious.

Eastern Daily Press: Kieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel MoxonKieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel Moxon (Image: Archant)

While many other venues chose to resume trading again on the first day, The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, chose to delay their grand reopening until the following Wednesday, July 8.

Landlords Keiran Bullen, 25, and partner Caitlin Quinn, 24, said they did not want to rush the process and believe that waiting until they had the right measures in place meant they could create a safer environment for everyone.

Mr Bullen said: “Pubs had 10 days to get ready. It was announced and then the legislation and guidelines didn’t come out for another couple of days so in reality we had seven days to prepare.

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Eastern Daily Press: Kieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel MoxonKieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel Moxon (Image: Archant)

“We felt it was best that, for everyone’s safety – for staff and for customers – we delayed it a bit. We were anxious that there would be this mass frenzy on the Saturday as well and so we decided to wait. We waited four months, so what’s another four days?”

Among the measures in place at The White Hart are a one-way system, hand sanitisers and table service, while customers are also having their contact details taken for tracing purposes.

The landlords said they have been delighted with the reaction of customers since their doors reopened once again.

Miss Quinn said: “A lot of people have said they feel reassured to come into the pub because of all the measures.

Eastern Daily Press: Kieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel MoxonKieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel Moxon (Image: Archant)

“We’ve put a lot of effort into making it as safe as possible for everybody so it’s really nice to get that feedback and to hear we’ve got it right.”

The couple took over operations at the pub on April 5, 2019, and said they were “terrified” when they were forced to close just as they were about to celebrate their first year in charge – they had “invested everything into the business”.

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Now, they are relieved to be back trading and are looking forward to the future after using lockdown as an opportunity to work on their operation.

Eastern Daily Press: Kieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel MoxonKieran Bullen and Caitlin Quinn, landlords of The White Hart in Market Street, Wymondham, with their dog Nova. Picture: Daniel Moxon (Image: Archant)

“Mr Bullen said: “It’s a bit of a fresh start so we thought we’d start with a fresh menu. We’ve also painted a lot of the pub and tidied up everywhere.

“We’re just relieved to be up and running again.”