WE love to shine the spotlight on local venues to visit with family and friends in our weekly ‘Pub of the Week’ feature.

This time, we have headed to Padiham to find out more about the new people behind the bar at the Starkie Arms.

Name of the pub

Starkie Arms

Address of the pub:

1 Church Street, Padiham, BB128HF

Landlord/landlady name:

Leighton Cragg

How long have you been the landlord/landlady for?

3 weeks

Bar staff and their names:

Lyndsey Pickard, Vicky Wright and Hayley Holden

Give us some history about the pub

It was an Admiral Tavern which unfortunately closed and now operated by AJP Pub Group Ltd as one of their Bee local pubs

Is food served? Is so what’s on the menu?

Not at the moment

Is there a beer garden

Yes, a good size beer garden to the front

Do you have any darts/snooker/pool teams

We have a pool table along with a dart board and we have a team for both but always looking for more teams.

Most popular drink served is:

Fosters / Cruz Campo

Most memorable moment at the pub

Opening night with our Meatloaf tribute was packed to the rafters

Do you have an entertainment line-up?

Yes, as standard DJs and karaoke at the weekends supported with bands or tributes at least once a month. Next big event is our 80s v 90s on November 24 and Freddie Mercury tribute on December 8

Have you faced any challenges within the industry

We face many challenges in this trade from blocked toilets to equipment breaking down but we minimise it as much as possible and keep everything running as smoothly as possible.

The best thing about running a pub is

Providing entertainment and a safe space for people to come and socialise and have fun and forget about their troubles and worries for a while.

The worst thing about running a pub is..

Unsociable hours is definitely the downside and losing time with my children but we love the job all the same.

The perfect hangover cure is...

Full breakfast