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Pandemic closure pub's new life as restaurant

Tom Hawker-Dawson A councillor wearing a purple co-ord made up of a purple blazer and purple skirt. She is cutting a ribbon ahead of the opening of the restaurant. The owners are standing on the side smiling at the camera. The woman is wearing a traditional Indian dress called a saree. The man is wearing a flowered shirt and a brown blazer. There are balloons by the side of the door. Tom Hawker-Dawson
The pub in Wilburton has been given a new lease of life after being closed for the past five years

A couple are hoping to give an empty pub a new lease of life after time was called on the business five years ago during the global pandemic.

Harsha Makwana and her husband Dinesh, 59, have taken over Wilburton's Kings Head and it will now be the Wilburton Flame.

Mrs Makwana, 60, said: "It was my husband's dream, he really wanted to have a restaurant for many years."

She said the couple used to own a restaurant about 25 years ago but had to give up the business when Mr Makwana had a heart attack.

The pub has been sitting empty for the past half decade after it closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

After officially reopening on Thursday, Mrs Makwana said: "It is due to a lot of my husband's hard work."

The building has been renovated and the menu has Indian dishes alongside British meals.

Charlotte Cane, Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire attended the opening.

She said: "The reopening of the Kings Head as the Wilburton Flame is a wonderful boost for Wilburton.

"Dinesh and Harsha Makwana have not only revived an important village space but also created a new community resource.

"I'm excited to see it thrive."

She hoped the pub could restore the "sense of community" that village pubs provide.

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