TWO brothers have plenty to celebrate after achieving their childhood dream of running a pub.

Darren Holmes, of Wingate, and brother Graeme, of Peterlee, have made a success of The Plough Inn, in nearby Haswell, after taking it over six months ago.

They made the move after their father died, and they decided to use the money he left them to fulfil their life-long ambition.

Graeme said: "Although the circumstances in which my brother and I were able to realise our dream were not happy ones, it's fantastic to finally have our own pub and all the challenges and rewards it has brought us."

Both brothers previously worked in retail, Darren as a bakery manager at Costco and Graeme at the local Asda supermarket.

"My brother and I have talked about getting our own pub for as long as I can remember," said Graeme.

"We have both worked in retail for a number of years and really enjoyed the contact it gave us with members of the public.

"We thought that running a pub wouldn't be too much different from our jobs, apart from the fact that we would be serving beer instead of cakes and biscuits.

"Although it's been hard work and we've been faced with all sorts of challenges, we've never regretted taking the step."

The brothers have taken on a new chef and are holding regular events such as karaoke nights.