LIFE has been breathed back into Droitwich's historic Bullocks Tea Rooms and Bistro which was officially opened to the public this morning (Wednesday, January 6).

At a crowded launch party on Tuesday afternoon, the old rooms were again buzzing with the sound of guests enjoying tea, cake and exploring the renovated building, four years after it last shut.

Bullocks was officially reopened by former owner Betty Abbey, whose family ran the business during the 1970s.

Speaking just before cutting the ribbon, Mrs Abbey said: "Now we are stepping into a new era. This wonderful old building is a land mark, not just a building, an opening to new life with all the modern equipment and decor that befits this present time.

"You will see the vision, care and sheer hard work that Andrew and Steve have put into this to make this possible. I'm sure you will all join with me in wishing them the best of luck and rewards for all their efforts.

"I'm delighted to see some old traders here. We were a very happy, bustling crowd up this end of the High Street many years ago."

Also at the ceremony were Maureen Weaver and Clare Lynam, two daughters of Alfred Bullock who ran the tea rooms after his father Edward Bullock in 1932. The sisters helped Mrs Abbey to cut the celebration cake.

Over the past 18-months, Bullocks has been lovingly renovated by a team of people led by owners Steve Weaver and Andrew Probyn.

As part of the £300,000 refurbishment works, four flats have been built above the old section of the building, while the traditional-style tea rooms, 40-seat restaurant and new coffee lounge based in the former bakers have returned Bullocks to its original glory.

Despite the modern decor, the rich history of the building has been preserved in a series of old photographs of Droitwich and the display of 'Devil Dolls' uncovered at Bullock's during renovation work in the 1990s.

Members of the Historic Droitwich Group have researched the history of the building and at the launch Lyn Blewitt spoke about their findings.

Mr Weaver said: "I do love the building, I have enjoyed doing it. We hope everybody enjoys the building.

"There is a lot of history with Bullocks and we wanted it to carry on. I loved putting the sign up this morning at 7.30am - that kind of topped it for me."

Councillor Graham Beale, Mayor of Droitwich, said: "I'm very pleased that the building is going to be brought into use now. It looks very nice. It will be an asset to the town, I believe, and a bit of history being revitalised which is very important I think."

The building has most recently been home to Wychavon District Council's Community Contact Centre, but before that was a popular tea room for many decades.

Bullocks new website can be found at bullocksofdroitwichspa.co.uk