'UK's youngest landlady' is barely old enough to drink in her own pub

A beauty therapy student is believed to have become Britain's youngest pub landlord at the age of 18.

Rheanna Geraghty is running the 17th-century Waggon & Horses pub in the Cambridgeshire village of Steeple Morden. She started working there as a waitress at 16.

Geraghty admits she was shocked she landed the role because she is only just old enough to legally drink in a pub, having turned 18 eight months ago, but her boss says she is a "natural".

"Now he's bought another pub, he's not around as much. So, he's put me in charge, which feels weird considering I'm only just the legal age to drink," she said.

Geraghty plans to balance her new job with studying to become a fully-qualified beauty therapist at Cambridge Regional College.

The teenager started working as a waitress at The Waggon & Horses after her GCSEs to earn money throughout the summer and has continued to work there ever since.

Watch: Teenager believed to be Britain's youngest landlord at 18

Previous landlord Chris Collier was struggling to find the right person to take over after buying a second pub in Redhill, Surrey.

He decided to give Geraghty a chance once she turned 18, and by appointing her, he believes he has made her the UK's youngest landlord.

He said: "I'm extremely proud of Rheanna who is a very strong young independent woman.

"She is already pushing forward with her own vision for the Waggon which includes the hiring of a new chef, new menus and wine lists.

"Rheanna is not only the Waggon's youngest ever landlady but possibly the youngest landlady in the UK at the age of 18."

Geraghty, whose favourite drinks are Prosecco and the baby Guinness cocktail, is proud of her role and said she likes "being constantly busy".

"My favourite part about the job is when the pub is full and everyone is happy," she added. The staff and the regulars respect me and are really supportive – they want to see both me and the pub do well.

"At first I was a bit nervous about taking on the responsibility of it all, but that's passed now. Everything's going well.

"Working at the pub has completely changed my life with the people and the relationships I have. And my family are my biggest supporters – they couldn't be prouder of me."

Geraghty enjoys her time at The Waggon & Horses so much, after her course finishes in June, she plans to work as a beauty therapist during the day and carry on working at the pub in the evening.

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