The town centre community pub revived thanks to a £230,000 refurbishment

These pubs face competition from national chains and have had to do work to improve, update and renovate the facilities, as well as revamp the drinks selection, to attract customers.

The White Swan in Oldbury is one of those pubs which has done that work, having reopened in September 2023 after spending £230,000 on a complete renovation of the pub, which had become dated.

This included putting in a new heating system, new flooring, a new gaming area with a pool table, slot machines and a dart board, a complete revamp of the decor and the addition of live music and a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays until 2am.

Deputy manager Ben Otto says he and manager Adam Reise had also worked to lower the prices to become more competitive with other pubs in the town.

He has been running the pub since his colleague Adam had to go off on long-term sick leave, having moved in and begun working in the pub several months ago and had been working in the pub trade since he was 18 in different pubs across the region.

He says the pub was a very welcoming and warm place where everyone would talk to you.

"It's a very inviting, cosy and friendly place with a warm atmosphere and something for everyone, whether that's playing pool or coming in with your dog and sitting down or watching sport on one of the TVs.

"It's one of those places that has a proper community feeling and where everyone knows everyone and I think that you could come in as a stranger and, by the time you've left, made about five new friends."

The work done to renovate the pub is clear, with a wood panelled-effect on the walls and tiled wooden flooring, while the bar area looks clean and modern and the pub has a fresh and new feeling to it.

The pub itself is a wet-led pub, with Mr Otto saying that the kitchen had been closed and take out during the renovation as it was felt that with a Wetherspoons just up the road, it wasn't profitable to try and sell food.

He says the pub is very much a place where people could come for a pint, with a range of lagers on sale, although there were a few bar snacks available as well.

He adds: "We've got crisps and pork scratchings and things like that, but with a Wetherspoons nearby, we felt it wasn't worth doing a full food menu.

"Carling is the best seller here and we also have Birra Moretti, Stella and Coors on sale and we don't do ales as such, although we have Guinness, John Smith's and some ciders on tap.

"We also sell Newcastle Brown Ale and we do a lot of drinks promotions, such as two selected bottled for £6 and themed promotions around the Cheltenham Festival and Saint Patricks Day."

The White Swan sits in a prime and visible location in Oldbury town centre, just over the road from Sandwell Council House and across from the large Sainsbury's store, and the new renovations have helped make it an eye-catching venue.

Mr Otto says the work had helped revive a tired looking pub and said the people in it was what make it a special place to him.

"I think what makes it special is the people who drink in in as they provide the friendly environment and have a lot of banter.

"Since we did the work, a lot of the old customers have come back and said how pleased they are to see it looking new and fresh, so a new coat of paint has really helped make it inviting to people."