Bradford Community Pub Set to Reopen Following Transformational Refurbishment of Almost £300,000

The Smiling Mule, a traditional village pub in Lower Fagley, Bradford, will officially reopen on Sunday 1st June following an investment of £290,000 from community pub company, Admiral Taverns. This transformational refurbishment will breathe a new lease of life into the pub and enable licensee, Paul Sinclair and his wife Michelle, to further cement it as the go-to community hub for local residents.

Internally, the pub will be completely revamped to include brand new fixtures, fittings, furniture and flooring throughout, to elevate the overall look and feel of the pub whilst retaining all the character of its original, 1900s features which include two open-fires and stone walls. In addition, as part of the refurbishment The Smiling Mule’s existing games room will be refreshed to feature a brand new pool table for the more competitive customers to enjoy.

Paul Sinclair, Licensee of The Smiling Mule, commented:
“I’ve loved every second of my time here at The Smiling Mule so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished results of this incredible refurbishment. This is such a special local pub with so much potential and I feel confident that this investment will help me to continue offering the community a thriving social hub that offers great value and brings people together.”

Upon reopening, the licensee will run an exciting schedule of regular entertainment including live music evenings every two months as well as pool, darts and dominoes teams. Going forward, Paul is also hoping to continue his fundraising efforts for MacMillan Cancer Support which he has been hosting frequently since joining The Smiling Mule and has so far raised £1,000.

Ian Lester, Business Development Manager at Admiral Taverns, added:
“I’d like to thank Paul for all his hard work at The Smiling Mule to date and for his support in helping us to bring this refurbishment to life. The pub is looking absolutely incredible already and we’re just working on getting those final finishing touches in place ahead of officially reopening in June. On behalf of myself and the everyone at Admiral Taverns, I’d like to wish Paul, Michelle and the team the very best of luck with the relaunch and every success for the future.”