A former Ysgol Dinas Bran pupil has promised to bring a once-popular empty pub in Llangollen back to life.
The Star on Queen Street has been closed and derelict for the past few years since the last landlord called time.
By late last year the large building, which stands alongside the town's fire station, had become an eyesore with broken windows and unlocked doors, until Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards had the property secured against vandals.
Now it's all change as David Anderson, who left Dinas Bran in 2000 and trained as an engineer before setting up a successful group of businesses based in Yorkshire, took over the building.
He says he plans to turn it back into a community pub - or hub - with emphasis on making it a place where people feel safe and comfortable.
David, who is originally from Cefn Mawr and served an engineering apprenticeship at Sharps Manufacturing in Llay, had a number of jobs in the area before moving to Doncaster where he is now based with his wife and two children.
He has since built up the successful Fess Group of companies, with branches working in the food industry and plant hire. One arm of the group is based in Poland.
Also in the group is a property arm and from that has stemmed a new company named Star Inn (Llangollen) Ltd, which has taken over the pub.
David said: "I actually used to drink at the Star in my younger days after playing in rugby matches, so I remember it well. When it came up for sale we decided to buy it and bring it back to life as a community pub or hub.
"When I come back to Llangollen these days there doesn't seem many places you can recognise from the past but the Star is one of them. The property element of the group is a real passion for me, so I wanted to put that to good use here.
"Our aim is to give it a real feel-good factor and we're keen to do everything right and to a high standard. The front of house will have a rustic feel about it but with a slightly modern twist.
"However, we want to remind people of how the Star used to be and we're looking at depicting around the rooms any historical mentions it has had and old pictures it appears in."
David's company also plans to include five ensuite B&B bedrooms plus a kitchen to produce the breakfasts.
"Given the complexity of the building it's going to be a challenge technically to do this but we'll be taking everything back to brick to address any problems we encounter," he said.
"We definitely want the community to come back and use the place and I've also been talking to the local rugby club who say they want to have their social gatherings here, which is a great start.
"Depending how it goes, our aim is to have the Star open for business again this summer and we'll be doing regular updates for the community on how the work is progressing."
David explained that the new logo of the pub he has had produced is emblazoned "Established 1976" because that's the earliest any records showing the building as a pub he has been able to find. The banner now outside the pub also includes a star motif which he says represents the pub in the community and that's very much how he wants it to be, he says.
Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards said: "I'm very pleased to see this former public house being purchased and brought back into use.
"Pubs are often at the heart of our communities, and it's encouraging to see investment that restores an important local asset.
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