Local author Celia Bannister never wanted a pub.

She thought that her future husband would be an engineer.

Then life took a different turn, and the couple became the youngest pub tenants in North West England.

‘I Never Wanted a Pub…’ is Celia’s tale of the thirteen years she and her husband battled leaky roofs, a freezing kitchen and the difficulty of getting customers in - and then out again, on time.

Particularly memorable are the larger-than life characters who share Celia’s pages.

Like the bridegroom who dropped his false teeth down the lavatory; or Tom, the road mender who demonstrated that he had no belly button; or Wing Co, who had an unfortunate encounter with an animal laxative.

Celia and her late husband Stan are well known to former students of the Isle of Man College, as Stan’s career as a pub landlord ended when he took up a lecturing post there in the Hospitality and Catering Department.

A long-term resident of the Isle of Man, Celia is a born story teller who recounts tales of flooded cellars, disappearing coach parties and a near-miss by a crashing aeroplane with equal gusto and glee.

‘I Never Wanted a Pub...’ is published by Loaghtan Books and retails at £9.95. It’s available now.