Norfolk pub the White Horse planning special Fright Night

The venue, once visited by the future king and famously a hideout for London gangsters in the 1960s, was losing money every month, and on the brink of closing down.

But 12 months later, a turnaround in fortunes has seen the business in Upton, a village near Acle, begin to make "a small profit".

Steve Walsh, chairman of the White Horse Development Trust CIC, which runs the community-owned pub, said: "It was having issues for years. The village on its own was unable to sustain it.

Steve Walsh, chairman of the White Horse Development Trust CIC. (Image: Sonya Duncan)

READ MORE: Famous Norfolk pub once visited by royalty and gangsters threatened by closure

"We needed to bring in customers from outside. Everyone realises we need to bring people from the wider area to survive."

The upturn in fortunes has been helped by regular themed events and a "slightly more adventurous" menu, he said. 

Another factor is that the pub is run both by paid staff and a small group of volunteers who work one or two shifts a week.

Staff and volunteers outside the White Horse pub in Upton. (Image: Sonya Duncan)

On October 26, the pub will host a Fright Night which Mr Walsh said will be the venue’s “most ambitious event yet”. 

During the day there will be family events including pumpkin carving and ghostly tractor rides. 

In the evening the entertainment will involve a mock-up of the room at Bates Motel in the film Psycho, a confessional with a demonic priest and an actor wielding a chainsaw,  

There will also be street food inside the pub.

“This is what you can do with a community pub," Mr Walsh said. "At a community-owned pub, people care about it.” 

QUIET LIFE: Charlie Richardson (far left) in the bar at the White Horse with (from left) Colin Harrison, Dennis Lamb and Len and Mary Goodley. (Image: Archant)

READ MORE: Pub visited by King Charles preparing for 'new lease of life' after refurb

The White Horse has been run by the community since 2012 when it was acquired by villagers after having been on the brink of closure.

Last November it hosted a meeting attended by 150 villagers desperate to save the venue.

And before Christmas, in a bid to turn around its fortunes, the White Horse Development Trust CIC, appointed five new directors.

In 2016, the then Prince of Wales visited the venue to see how it had become a community hub thanks to funding from two schemes he sponsored.

After pouring himself a pint of Woodforde’s Wherry behind the bar, the future king was awarded a loyalty card as a token of the community’s appreciation for his role in saving the pub.  

During his visit, which saw him welcomed by more than 100 villagers, he said: “I am extremely impressed with the level of community spirit that was shown by people here to save their pub."

The White Horse is also known for being a former hideout for notorious south London 1960s gangsters the Richardson gang.

A picture of Charlie Richardson visiting the pub in 1964 still hangs on one of the walls.