A PUB nearly ran out of beer when it staged a weekend-long party to celebrate becoming the first in York to be run by its local community.

The Golden Ball in Bishophill had a queue of people waiting to get in – and standing room only in the bar – during the Get The Ball Rolling party last weekend.

As reported previously in The Press, the pub’s lease has been taken over by the Golden Ball Cooperative Ltd, with about 180 people investing £400 each in shares.

Co-operative secretary Peter Kilbane said a mix of regulars, local residents and co-op members turned up for the party.

“We were so busy that we nearly ran out of beer,” he said.

“It was only down to the heroics of Karen, the new manager, that we kept the beer flowing. Even so, three out of the seven pumps had run dry by last orders. I’d like to say a big thanks to all the regulars, co-op members and people who have given so much of their time and skills to make this happen.”