Meet the man who tours Wetherspoons pubs - and hear his view on Sunderland's new-look Cooper Rose

The Cooper Rose on Albion Place, Sunderland, reopened at 8am on Sunday, January 23 after being closed for seven months due to a refurbishment.

A £2.2million investment has seen the city centre venue undergo a modern transformation and added a brand new roof terrace which is set to open in the coming months.

One of the pub’s first visitors on Sunday morning was 62-year-old Malcolm Peart, who travels up and down the country visiting different Wetherspoons pubs as a hobby.

Malcolm, from London, told the Echo what he thought about the Cooper Rose’s new look and compared it to some other venues he has visited recently.

He said: “It was very dark before and they've brightened it up with this new ceiling to put a lot more light into the place so it is much improved to what it was.

"Recently they’ve really gone upmarket with the Wetherspoons, two new ones I’ve done in the last month in Birmingham and Sheffield were really bright.

“I’ll be back this week to bring my wife along to see what she thinks about it – and I’ll come along when the roof terrace opens.”

Other customers who visited the pub on Sunday morning also commented on how much brighter it is – with shift manager Liam O’Brien describing the new-look as “phenomenal".

Following the reopening, the Cooper Rose will be open from 8am until midnight on weekdays and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

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