Couple aged 19 and 22 take over pub in York (From York Press)

Dave Sutton, 22, and Sarah Mills, 19, run Punch Bowl pub in Lowther Street

10:33am Friday 21st September 2012 in News

COULD this couple be the youngest people to run a pub in York?

Dave Sutton, 22, has recently taken over the Punch Bowl pub in Lowther Street along with his 19-year-old girlfriend Sarah Mills, who juggles helping out at the pumps and studying for a degree at nearby York St John University .

Despite preparing to soon return to her studies in sport and physical education following the summer holiday, Sarah says running a pub has been an invaluable experience for both of them.

She said: “Dave started off working at the Fox and Hounds in Copmanthorpe then we both went to the Cross Keys on Tadcaster Road and Dave took it on and was offered a six-month contract.”

However the couple had already fallen in love with the Punch Bowl and Dave has now been appointed as landlord, despite his youth.

Sarah said: “It’s fun. It’s not difficult because Dave does the majority of the work. People really respect us for being young. They are interested in what we do.

“Some people aren’t too keen on a student in the pub, but most like what we are doing. We still have the regulars in – in fact we have people coming back who said they had stopped coming. My friends come in too and so do Dave’s rugby friends.

“We both used to be quite quiet people but both Dave and I are a lot more confident.” Looking ahead to her return to university next week, Sarah said: “I will definitely have to back off from the pub to concentrate on my uni work.

“Dave is looking to do a business degree, too, through the Open University which will be a lot of hard work but we are loving it.”