'They asked me why I tried to turn it into a Scouse pub and now it's bouncing every weekend' Andy Kelly has managed the pub for the last two years and has loved every minute Andy Kelly, manager of Argyll & Sutherland in Eastham, Wirral (Image: Liverpool Echo ) " I said one day that I would grow up and get a 'proper job' but I'm still here", says Andy Kelly. "I love the fact you can socialise, you can make someone's day. "An old man could come in who's got no one and you can have a ten minute chat with him and that's made his day. It's all round, hospitality in general, I'm in love with it." ‌ Article continues below Andy, 45, was born in Huyton and has worked in pubs his whole life. He moved to Wirral two years ago to take over as manager at The Argyll & Sutherland, found on Plymyard Avenue in Eastham. He loves his job and has relished the chance to revive The Argyll's fortunes in recent years. The pub first opened in 1956 and was originally called The Argyll & Sutherland Highlander before becoming The Argyll. £170,000 was spent by Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars and licensees Blind Tiger Inns to revitalise the pub in 2023, before it reopened that August as The Argyll & Sutherland. ‌ About his time at the pub, Andy said: "When we took this, it was absolutely run down. Blind Tiger invested heavily in it so they gave me a perfect base to do exactly what I do. Argyll & Sutherland in Eastham, Wirral (Image: Liverpool Echo ) "I've worked in the game long enough, so I sort of know what people want - well, I like to think I do. Since I've been here, it's been very successful. It's been great. ‌ "It's modern inside now, we change them over the year. We've got a lot of greenery in the pub and we change that throughout the seasons. "At the moment we've got all pink and white flowers hanging down from the ceiling, scattered about. Last week we had all horses in there for the Grand National. "At Easter we'll have Easter bunnies up. We change the theme of the pub as the seasons go through. It's a lovely, classy pub. ‌ "The regulars all love it. Everything that we do - the events - they all enjoy it. We've got loads going, every week we have different stuff going on." Andy is very pleased with what he's done with the pub since taking over, putting his own spin on the venue. He explained: "I took over two years ago and since then we've had all kinds of crazy days going on, DJs from Liverpool, family fun days, we've had farms here. "A gentleman said to me 'I can't believe you've tried to turn it into a Scouse pub'. I replied 'Well, I know nothing different, that's where I'm from'. ‌ "It's been fun, we cater for everyone and we do all different stuff. We have family parties, tribute nights on, crazy bingo. "We do all kinds of stuff. It's a proper pub where it's all just fun. A lot of it is centred around sport, it's a big Liverpool pub, that helps and makes me feel a bit at home." Andy Kelly, manager of Argyll & Sutherland in Eastham, Wirral (Image: Liverpool Echo ) ‌ The pub is at its best at weekends, according to Andy, when it brings in drinkers young and old. He explained: "The quiz on the Monday is steady, we've built that up. The main days for us are the Friday and Saturday and whenever Liverpool play. "It's bouncing at weekends, it's a mixture of age groups. It's like a pub of two halves, one end is full of young ones and the other is different generations - so it works its way down the pub. "It's good fun, we've got a pool table, the pool team is doing really well at the moment. We've got two local football teams and a rugby team that we sponsor. So we have all different people coming in." ‌ Andy is very proud of his work at the pub and continues to love his work, after around 30 years in the industry. Though there are challenging times for hospitality at the moment, there is no other job he would want. He explained: "I love hospitality. I've met some lovely people over here. It's just fun in general. There are too many nice people to name them all. Everyone's different, no two days are the same in a pub and that's what I love most about this industry. "It's amazing to be in. It has its dark days, but the good days outweigh those."