Passing trade at the Black Swan in Horsham St Faith generally means people attending a wake after seeing a loved one off at the nearby St Faith Crematorium.

The pub hosts three wakes a day on average, and the events are now more celebrations of a person's life than times of sadness.

Emma Wright, a waitress at the pub, said: 'We are the only pub in Horsham, and therefore have quite a big catchment area, and we do very well from wakes.

'But you don't treat people on wakes any different to anyone else. They are more of a celebration now, although, of course, you have to have some kind of decorum.

'We also do weddings, christenings and have a monthly quiz night, which is popular. We also have a bingo, and we do a discount card from Monday to Friday. We also have an old boys' night on a Monday.'

The family-run pub's general manager is Richard Pride and his brother Orrin is the head chef, while sister Sophie Pride is currently on maternity leave.

Orrin said: 'We are locally sourced food-wise and do home-made scones.'

The pub employs 13 people and next year bosses hopes to have introduce accommodation upstairs. It's currently undergoing a makeover with new disabled toilets being built.

Staff member Andrea Carey added: 'We've got a takeaway service where people get 20pc off. We have our regulars, including people who work at the allotments, and come in and talk about seeds, or whatever.

'We have a wide spectrum of regulars including young people who come in before heading to the city. And one of our regulars is said to be the oldest bloke in the village, Maurice, who says he' 93.'

The Evening News has been urging people to return to pubs in our Love your Local campaign.

To see more stories from the campaign visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal