A HUSBAND and wife team who decided to try running a pub ‘for a couple of years’ are celebrating two decades at the helm.

Despite having no previous experience, Craig and Debbie Mansell decided to take on a new challenge and began running the White Boar in Radcliffe in 2000.

Over the years the couple have faced changes and obstacles, including the impacts of new laws such as the smoking ban and most recently the pandemic.

Craig and Debbie, who have been married for 30 years, have emerged with a much-loved community pub that’s known for its home-cooked food, live sports, live entertainment and Bury Darts League.

The Thwaites pub re-opened on July 6 with new safe-guarding measures, including a one-way system with separate entry and exit doors, a check-in facility by QR code and table service.

Craig, who met wife Debbie when they were both 19, said: “Neither of us can believe it’s been 20 years."