A COMMUNITY pub is to open its doors after almost four months of closure.

The Bevy in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, shut during the coronavirus lockdown but continued to help its most vulnerable regulars by serving up more than 4,000 meals on wheels with its pub lunch delivery service.

Now, staff are looking forward to serving pints again.

The Bevy is the UK’s only community pub on a housing estate. It is a co-operative owned by its members and invests profits back into the community.

It will welcome customers back on Wednesday. But there are big changes – and staff said popping to the pub “will look a whole lot different”.

The interior has had a makeover but isn’t open yet. Instead, people will be able to drink in the garden and make use of a marquee.

The pub is taking bookings and customers will need to wait to be seated when they arrive. One person from each table will be invited to go and order food and drinks. Hand sanitiser will be available and customers are asked to pay by card.

Though pubs were allowed to open earlier this month, The Bevy said it had wanted to make sure it could keep people safe before opening its doors.

Many of its elderly customers have been in shielding isolation and the pub team did not want to put them or those in the sheltered housing they live in at risk.

But the pub said it also understands the need for company, and will be open from 4pm to 8pm on Wednesday.

Under lockdown, the pub stepped up to provide a lifeline for elderly people stuck indoors.

Its meals on wheels service made sure pub lunch regulars living in lockdown didn’t go hungry.

The scheme snowballed, and three times a week a team of staff and volunteers delivered thousands of hot meals to the pub’s elderly diners.