A couple are celebrating an "incredible" quarter of a century in charge of a Bradford pub.

Licensees Barry Hawkes, 67, and Maxine Royle, 56, have run the Bull’s Head in Great Horton Road since the heady days of the 90s.

The couple said that, while times and Great Horton had changed over the decades, their pub has remained a key community hub.

In a climate of cheap supermarket booze and pubs having to shut down, The Bull’s Head, licensed to the pair by Admiral Taverns, has stood the test of time.

Mr Hawkes said: “I was born in Great Horton and have lived here all my life - the people have changed a lot, but our clientele hasn’t. Most people that come in have been coming in a long time.

“It’s a local community pub, that’s how we see ourselves - it’s a meeting place for people in the surrounding areas.”

The duo both said they see their customers as friends first and foremost.

Mr Hawkes said: “I know virtually every one of them on first name terms - they’re my friends.”

Between 1994 and 2014 the couple organised and travelled on holiday with their regulars to destinations such as Benidorm and Lloret de Mar.

In 1999, the entourage went “on tour” to Ibiza, with the group including 52 customers.

Mrs Royle said: “We’ve been very lucky and I’m very honoured to still get people that want to come in - it’s quieter now, but we get enough to trade.”

She added: “Some have even moved away but they still get taxis here every week and come see us.

“My favourite thing is the regular customers - we know everyone and they’re friends then customers.”

A standout moment in the pub’s history came in 2001, when regulars came together to record a charity album of classic covers to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Around 500 copies were sold, according to Mr Hawkes, from a project that began as a joke.

Mr Hawkes gave a special mention to Jillian Fuller, a staff member who they inherited when they first got the pub.

He said: “She’s been with us all the way until the last few months due to ill health. She’s been our right arm for the best part of 25 years.”

Gary Stafford, Business Development Manager for Admiral Taverns said: “Barry and Maxine have done a fantastic job over the past 25 years in cementing the pub at the core of the community. They have an incredible passion for the pub industry and 25 years is an incredible achievement.

Mr Hawkes said: “We plan on staying for the foreseeable future."