A NEW cocktail bar and restaurant is opening in Accrington.

Tiger Lounge will hold a launch weekend next weekend – before officially opening on Friday November 22 at the former Swan Hotel on Abbey Street – just in time for the town’s Christmas lights switch-on.

Father and daughter management team Danny and Beckie Cassidy will be behind the bar on the opening night.

Contractors are currently working behind the scenes to get the bar ready.

But Danny, who is chairman of the Royal British Legion Branch, said: “We are really looking forward to it opening. We are born and bred in Oswaldtwistle but Becky lives across the road from the new place.

“It is in a fabulous location and there are so many plus points about where it is."

Daughter Beckie added: “Everybody is really excited about it and hopefully it will help bring people into the area and gives an opportunity to stay in town. It is so close to Grants so we hope to create a little bit of a hub area for people to go to.”

Tiger Lounge already has two sites in East Lancashire with the Oswaldtwistle being a cocktail bar while the one in Rawtenstall offers food.

Bosses are hoping to have the best of both worlds in Accrington with ‘good quality fresh food on offer’ and also ‘skilled cocktail staff for drinks’.

Tiger Lounge boss Damian Cunliffe said: “We are looking to bring a city bar feel to a local town which produces good quality fresh food served all day.

“We feel the menu will give a relaxed dining environment with table service.

“We will also be serving Saturday brunch and Sunday roasts.

“We want to have some nice spaces as well for family events at either side of the bar and there will be cocktail trees and we want it to have a friendly environment like our other sites.

“We have tried to be sympathetic to the Swan and with having the stained glass window at the entrance and then there will be a heritage wall where we have managed to get old photographs of the Swan throughout the years.

“We hope it will help us to have a cosy atmosphere and be child friendly for families.”

To find out more about the Tiger Lounge visit www.facebook.com/tigerloungeaccrington