The Sportsman Inn is the oldest recorded pub in Carlisle and dates back to 1778, only two years after the American Declaration of Independence.

It is fair to say, however, this year may well have been one of its most arduous in its long history.

Their latest licensee is Amanda Picken, whom after 9 years of working here, finally got her name above the door at this historic venue in September of this year.

In this year of all years, her stint at the helm has understandably been a baptism of fire so far.

With pubs currently under Government restrictions which outline that venues may only trade if they are serving 'substantial meals' in Tier 2 locations, making sure her pub is safe has been her first challenge.

"We're only a tiny pub so everything we have put in place we can manage," she confirms.

"Of course, we have lost a lot of table space and also now often we are having to police things as best we can to ensure people are not from different households.

"You can ask people if they are from the same household but that's pretty much all we can do."

She is currently operating her normal main menu to meet Government guidelines but states that she is concerned that it may take a while before people feel confident to eat out again, like before.

"We have our main menu on at the moment with other larger meals such as baguettes. To be honest, things are very, very quiet.

"It is going to be more difficult than the Government think to get people to come out to eat again. A lot of people don't want to do it, which makes things difficult for us as a business."

Custom, she adds, is currently not at sustainable levels and she is now calling for support from the community to ensure the pub's future.

"We didn't get furlough money as only took over the pub in September.

"We need the support of the community to keep us going. Normally this is the busiest time of year for us but we've had next to nothing. It's already like your standard January. If things continue, we are all going to suffer right across the industry.

"It's very difficult. November and December are two months we normally rely on to keep us afloat in January and February."

In the meantime, she is calling for the Government to review their strategy in order to save the hospitality industry.

"We're hoping on the 16th December, the situation is reviewed and business might pick up again before Christmas, as January is always quiet for pubs.

"If things don't pick up, we are going to lose a lot of pubs. A lot of pubs are not going to be able to survive this.

"I'd ask people to come and support us as best as they can. We're here for you and it's not just my pub. It belongs to everyone in the city.

"I love the place, I love the history of it and I'd be devastated to see anything happen to it."