A PUB owner is “proud” of how far his business has come in just one year.

The Antwerp Arms, in Tottenham, was nearly closed and turned into flats – but the community raised £150,000 to save it.

This Sunday, it is celebrating its first birthday since it reopened with an afternoon of live music and a charity auction.

Chris Lane, one of the nine new directors at the pub, believes the key to its success has been due to the support from the community.

He said: “There has been a fantastic show of support. When we took it over it, we felt daunted about whether it would actually work out but we are proud what we have achieved in a year.

“The new people in charge are all community people and it was a new venture for us.

“It is certainly my first time in charge of a pub, as I used to be a town centre manager in Haringey and Enfield, working with businesses but now I have a completely new career.”

The pub, which was relaunched last year after regulars raised £150,000 to save it from closure, will also welcome a visit from David Lammy, MP for Tottenham and former Spurs footballer, Gary Mabbutt, who will host the auction during the event.

There will be live music from Haringey Young Musicians, along with a BBQ, a “giant” birthday cake and a “Spurs secret history walk”, which will set off from Tottenham Hale.

Mr Lane decided to get involved in saving the pub, which has been around since 1822, so people in the area did not lose an “important” part of Tottenham’s heritage.

He said: “We found out the pub was going to be sold and applied to the council to place a bid to buy it, which we were given permission for.

“There has been a lot of effort put into the pub and we have made a lot of changes in a short amount of time.

“When we took it over, we had to renovate the pub, such as the garden area and make the seating area and atmosphere more comfortable, along with the food and we are still just expanding as we go along.”

Mr Lane adds he wants customers to feel like the “Annie” is more than just a place to come for drink but instead, somewhere “interesting” for a day out.

He said: “We are trying to make Tottenham a destination.

“The pub is located in a heritage area in Bruce castle and we are near the museum and church and various listed buildings, as well as being a home for birds and bats.

“There is so much to see here and it has been good to see that people are recognising that work has been done to build the pub into something great.”

The event will be supported by the Mayor of Haringey’s charity, “All People All Places”.

Ms Mann said: “The success of The Antwerp Arms is a fantastic story of local people coming together to restore a pub to the heart of its community and I’ll be delighted to join them for a well-deserved first birthday party.

“All People All Places do fantastic work to support some of Haringey’s most vulnerable and homeless people, and the money raised will help them continue their vital activities.”