SIX months after the summer floods caused devastation across Worcestershire, two much-loved local institutions were finally getting back on their feet this weekend.

Young and old alike were celebrating as the Copperpots pub in Oldbury Road, St John's, and the Riverside Youth Centre in King George's Way, Pershore, both held grand reopenings of their newly-refurbished premises, which had been badly damaged in the July floods.

Although Coppertops remained open following the flooding, the entire downstairs of the pub - including its restaurant, kitchen, beer cellar, skittle alley and function room - was completely destroyed by water from the overflowing Laughern Brook.

Landlady Jenny Wilks has until recently only been able to serve her customers cans and bottles of beers, while the pub's skittles and darts teams have temporarily had to find other homes.

"It has been pretty tough when I think back," she said. "When it actually happens you just get on with it, really - there's nothing else you can do."

Despite the problems loyal regulars continued to drink in the pub in their droves.

"For weeks, we only had candles to light the place, and they loved it!" she said. "They wanted me to have a yearly reunion - but I've had enough of the sight of candles."

Worcester MP Mike Foster officially reopened the newly-refurbished premises on Sunday, with the men's skittles team set to make their own homecoming tonight.

Meanwhile, over in Pershore on Saturday, the Riverside Youth Centre was proudly showing off its impressive new look following a post-flood revamp.

"The water actually reached desk-height in July, so you can imagine the centre was fairly devastated," said trustee Chris Smith. "But the whole ground floor's been renovated and redecorated, and we've got new equipment, new computers and everything. It's actually quite an improvement! I think you could say every cloud has a silver lining."

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