Lounge wizard

IT'S 11am and Leanne Mann is already busy. Her mobile phone is constantly ringing and she's in and out of meetings with her staff. But this is just the start of her day. The 28-year-old single mum is manager at The Lounge in Darlington - the former Plastered Parrot nightclub which was recently given a £1m makeover by owners Absolute Leisure.

"At the moment, I'm working all hours - during the day as well as at night. It takes a lot out of me but because we've just been open a couple of weeks, I need to be here," she says.

Leanne came to the Plastered Parrot from Bojangles in Stockton two years ago and has overseen the refurbishment. The Lounge now boasts bold coloured paintwork, sleek wood fittings and an enormous fireplace.

"It has been very hectic, very, very trying but we got there in the end. It is totally different from the way it was before and I've been so happy with the way everything went. We had more than 800 people through the door on the opening night and 1,400 on the following Saturday. I hope they'll all keep coming back."

Wearing a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, Leanne's casual appearance belies an authoritative and efficient manner. She seems to be juggling at least three tasks. Add to this the fact she's a single mum bringing up a nine-year-old daughter, and you get some sense of her determination to succeed.

"Ever since I moved out of home when Hannah was one, I've been on my own with her but I get brilliant support from my family and friends. I couldn't manage otherwise.

"I spend every tea time with her although that's been a bit difficult with the refurbishment because I'm spending every hour at work. She is brilliant, though. She really understands and she's so wise, it's not like living with a little girl. Once things settle down here, we'll be able to get into more of a routine but, for the moment, we're just trying to make the most of the spare time I do get."

Leanne has been working in the pub and leisure business for nine years. She started out as a barmaid in her home town of Stockton, where she still lives with Hannah.

"Right from the start, I didn't just want to be a barmaid. I was there to learn. I taught myself everything I needed to know and I've just slowly worked my way up. I was Absolute's first woman manager so really, they put a lot of faith in me. In some ways, they were taking a bit of a risk but it all worked out really well.

"I think being a woman in a man's world, you've got to be prepared to work a bit harder. Sometimes I find it difficult but the company has been brilliant and has given me a lot of support whenever I've needed it."

But Leanne has never expected anyone to make allowances for her.

"There's no reason why a woman can't do this sort of job as well as a man. I think I've got a fairly forceful personality so people don't mess me around. Also, I've been in the business long enough to know whether someone's genuine or not, whether they have a real complaint, and, at the end of the day, I've always got a team on the door to back me up if things get out of hand."

So far, everything at The Lounge has run smoothly. The club has an over-21s policy which, Leanne says, has made a major difference to the atmosphere.

"There was a bit of stigma here before. People thought it was just full of kids but now it's totally changed. There's a different kind of feel, people are really making an effort.

"To be honest, I think they've been really surprised by the change. It's nice and new. It's fresh, it's clean and it's different. They really seem to want to enjoy it."

The venue also serves food during the day. Table service means people don't have to keep going to the bar and it is attracting new customers, many of whom wouldn't usually step through the doors. "We've had all sorts of people of all sorts of ages, which is great to see. Not all of them will be the kind of people who come in the evening but it's wonderful that so many of them are enjoying what we have on offer."