The only sound you'll hear in The Royal pub in Fagley is the quiet clack of dominoes or the burble of friendly conversation.

There's no blaring jukebox or rowdy yobs hanging around a pool table trying to destroy the peace and tranquillity of this friendly public house.

In fact when you walk into The Royal, in Fagley Road, Fagley Village, Bradford, it's like taking a step back in time to a more traditional age where regulars only raise their voices to have a laugh with one another.

The pioneering pub, which was closed down for a year after trouble with drugs and violence, was reopened in March after a complete refurbishment to cater principally for pensioners and people aged 55 and over.

This week it celebrates more than six months of successful trading with manageress Dot Hill and her husband John at the helm. The couple were brought in by JH Leisure to run the business.

Dot, who is 53, said: "My aim was to run a pub primarily for people over 55 where they could come and have a drink at prices they could afford in a relaxed atmosphere.

"We thought they deserved to be freed from the blare of jukeboxes and bawdy behaviour from youngsters.

"We've become the focal point for the area's senior citizens.

"Our Royal Blue Social Club has a hundred members, and we organise seaside trips, theatre visit and hold weekly draws for meat and groceries."

She said the pub also had a special fund to raise cash for worthy causes.

Former Bradford Lord Mayor Eddie Newby, 87, who held office in 1969-70 and who lives in Bradford Moor, said the pub's secret was its return to traditional values.

He said: "I've been coming here since 1950 but I stopped before it closed down because the atmosphere had changed for the worse. It's a wonderful pub now, and it's a focal point for the whole of Fagley."

Jim Brook, 70, of Bradford Moor, said it was the people who gave the pub its special character. "You won't find a pub within ten miles with as many older people in it at lunchtime. They come here for the crac and the conversation."

Winifred Leach, 83, of Bradford Moor, said: "All you hear in some of these 'youth' pubs is foul language. It's lovely in here, very respectable and we also have some fun."

John Townsend, a director of JH Leisure which owns The Royal, said the pub's success could mean more senior citizen pubs being set up in the city.

"We just wanted to create a pub where older people could come for a drink and a chat instead of being sat at home staring at four walls," he said.

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