A traditional Highland pub devastated by last winter’s floods will finally reopen this weekend.
Insurers paid out around £200,000 after the Old Bridge Inn, which sits low by the Spey in Aviemore, was swamped in nearly 3ft of water in December.
The 19th century building has now undergone a complete refit, and will open on Friday.
And despite months of hard work to get the pub back up and running, the kind-hearted owners will mark the grand opening by holding a fundraiser for those “a million times worse off” in Nepal.
Owen Caldwell, who runs the pub with his partner Kim Plimley, paid tribute to his staff for working “tremendously hard” to get the business back ready for the tourist season.
The 36-year-old said: “The guys (barmen and chefs) have been coming in and working 40 hours a week. We have got some really good chefs here and clearly, painting and picking stuff up off the ground and taking it to the dump is not within their remit.
“But now we are all very excited. It’s just thrilling, even scary, as we are all feeling a bit rusty. Hopefully everyone can still remember how to pull a pint.
“The enthusiasm and support from people locally has been fantastic. And we get a lot of our business from Inverness and Aberdeen as well.
“Tickets for Friday’s re-opening are on sale now. We’re charging £5 entry, with door proceeds going to the Nepal Earthquake relief. We’ve had a tough six months so wanted to raise some money for people a million times worse off than us.”
The 35-year-old pub, set inside an old cottage dating back to the 1890s, required a full refit following the floods in December.
All kitchen equipment, flooring, walls and the bar were all ruined and needed replacing.
The nearby Aviemore Holiday Park was also flooded by Storm Desmond, with emergency services using boats to evacuate 22 adults, three children and seven dogs from their holiday chalets.
Mr Caldwell added: “It was always our worst nightmare to be flooded, and one we knew would probably come true at some stage.
“I suppose we rode our luck for six years without a flood, so it was almost inevitable at some point we would pay the price for the beautiful riverside setting we enjoy. What we couldn’t ever have imagined is the scale of the damage. How it gets into – and destroys – everything.
“Missing out on Christmas and Hogmanay and the whole ski season has been a bit of a killer because a lot of our customers we only see in the winter time, and we’ve missed out on them altogether.”
Last night Aviemore-based councillor Bill Loban welcomed the news that the pub was reopening so soon – and said it would give the area a boost after Friday’s disaster, when then popular Speyside Heather Centre near Dulnain Bridge was destroyed in a huge fire.
He said: “It’s fantastic news that the Old Bridge Inn will be back up and running. It’s well used by both tourists and locals alike.
“I am sure the premises was partially covered by losses through insurance but still, for any business, it’s certainly a difficult time.
“We don’t need any more disasters in the area. What happened to the heather centre recently was just horrendous as well.”
Friday’s event at the Old Bridge Inn starts at 7pm and performers include The Langan Band and The Wook.