THERE were more than a few glasses raised at an Ellesmere Port pub as staff and regulars celebrated.

The future of the Grace Arms on Stanney Lane has been in doubt for more than a year as the property was listed for sale by brewery chain Greene King.

But last week Greene King confirmed that the site was no longer for sale and the pub would remain open for business under the stewardship of general manager Denise Conlan and her husband and kitchen manager Sean.

A spokesperson for Grace Arms said: “The Ellesmere Port community have been passionate about their desire to keep Grace Arms as their local and we’ve listened. We are delighted to confirm we have withdrawn the pub from sale and Grace Arms will continue to trade as normal."

Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, had supported the campaign to keep the Grace open from the beginning, saying their were other empty sites in the Port ripe for redevelopment that would not see the loss of a community pub.

He said: “I am delighted by the news that the Grace Arms will stay open for the future. This is a huge boost to the local community, who have worked so hard to support their pub.

“I was contacted by a large number of local people, who were concerned that this local landmark was going to make way for housing. It was only through the local community coming together that we were able to see this decision reversed.”

To thank loyal customers and supporters, the Grace Arms invited them to a celebration on Friday evening.

The pub dates back to the 1930s and is named after the Grace family, who lived at the nearby Whitby Hall.

A Save the Grace Arms campaign was set up – the group has more than 500 “likes” on Facebook.