E-Malt.com News article: UK: Essex Pub voted ‘best in Britain for the second time

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) announced on February 17 The Swan, Little Totham, Essex, has fended off competition from thousands of other pubs in the country to win the prestigious title of “National Pub of the Year 2005”.

It is the second time The Swan - a 16th century cottage style pub - has won the coveted award. The last time was in 2002 and owners John Pascoe and his wife Valerie say they could not be more delighted that their hard work and attention to detail has been recognised once again – particularly as the pub was threatened with closure before they took it over.

John Pascoe said: “This is like being awarded 10 Michelin Stars!… When the pub was up for sale the parish council made representations to the selling brewery begging to keep it as a local pub for the community rather than being converted into housing. “Valerie and I moved in on the 12th of June 1996 and worked on the pub with family and friends until it was in a fit state to open on the 14th of June at 7pm – we took £124.”

“At first we parked our cars in the front car park to make it look busy and had our meals sitting outside in the garden for the same effect. “From those early days we set out to get the pub recognized by CAMRA and have been delighted with the level of support we have received from local branches. “We would like to thank all of our regular customers, villagers, CAMRA members and friends for their custom and hope to welcome even more visitors in 2006.”

The presentation of the award will take place at The Swan on Friday February 17th at 1pm to mark the beginning of National Pubs Week 2006 which runs from February 18th to the 25th. The aim of the campaign is to encourage more people to visit pubs regularly at this quiet time of the year for the trade.

In CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2006 The Swan is described as “An Architypal heavy beamed village pub. The unspoilt public bar has billiards and darts, while the comfortable saloon has open fires.”

Bob Stukins, CAMRA’s Pubs Director and one of the final judges said: “It has been wonderful to be able to revisit The Swan three years after it last won National Pub of the Year and see that it is still a shining example within the industry. Through their devotion to maintaining the very highest quality in all aspects of the pub John and Val have prospered and shown others what a marvellous asset the community pub can be.”

Mike Harvey, CAMRA Regional Director for East Anglia, said: “I always make a point of calling into the swan whenever I can because it is such a pleasure to visit there. John and Valerie have taken a pub that was once threatened with closure and turned it into a magnet for real ale enthusiasts from across the country.”

Bob Stukins added: "We are awarding National Pub of the Year in the build up to National Pubs Week to highlight what we believe makes a pub great. If pubs are to survive in today’s competitive leisure industry, then it is important that they become more marketing focused.

“Licensees need to find out what their locals want, organise events and promote them accordingly. Unfortunately the day has gone when people just visit a pub because it is a pub. National Pubs Week offers the perfect opportunity to experiment with organising and promoting events to see what impact these can have on business."

CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year competition is judged by the CAMRA membership. Each of the 200 branches vote for their favourite pub. The branch winners are entered into 16 regional competitions and then the 16 winners battle it out to make the Grand Final which consists of 4 pubs.

National Pubs Week 2006 will run from February 18th to 25th and CAMRA is asking public houses across the country to sign up to the campaign by ordering free promotional packs that include posters, beer mats, press release templates and advice sheets. These can be ordered by calling 01727 867201 or online by visiting www.pubsweek.org

The National Pubs Week campaign gives a spring board for pubs to organise and promote a variety of events throughout the week to encourage more trade. Pubs that have participated in National Pubs Week in the past have experienced the success of being more proactive and have gone on to promote more events throughout the year and this has helped to increase the stability of the pub businesses across Britain.

In previous years more than 15,000 pubs have taken part by organising events to attract more custom and celebrate Britain’s fantastic pub industry.


17 February, 2006