Each year the Bristol & District branch of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) invites local members to nominate pubs for consideration in the branch Pub Of The Year competition. The finalists from this nomination stage are then judged against various nationally designated criteria to decide the result. For 2024 this is that The Horseshoe, Chipping Sodbury is our Bristol & District branch Pub Of The Year and the Merchants Arms (Hotwells) is the runner-up. Congratulations to both pubs!
CAMRA Bristol & District Branch Chair Richard Brooks said “Pub Of The Year is not just about the beer and judges are expected to consider the full customer experience and whether a pub offers that something extra. This year judges commented that they particularly liked the atmosphere, friendly staff, community focus and overall impression of The Horseshoe, Chipping Sodbury. The Merchants Arms in Hotwells is clearly on a roll as it has achieved Runner-up branch Pub Of The Year for the second year in a row. The judges found it to be a welcoming community local with a cosy interior and excellent real ale.”
Presentations of the awards will take place at The Horseshoe on Tuesday 14 May at 8pm and the Merchants Arms on Thursday 16 May at 8pm. All welcome!
Jo Lewis (Landlady of the Horsehoe) said “I’m absolutely delighted to accept such a prestigious award on behalf of the Horseshoe from CAMRA, to be acknowledged and noticed of how passionate we are as a team has truly blown me away. We will never be complacent, and will continue to strive to make The Horseshoe a fantastic pub.”
Matt Lewis (Landlord of the Horseshoe) said “Ecstatic! Receiving this award shows that hard work and dedication to the trade pays off. Pubs are struggling more than ever, so to have this award from such a fantastic institution like CAMRA, in this day and age, is extremely appreciated. We all need to get out there and support our locals before we lose them!”
Mike Wilkins (owner of the Merchants Arms) said “It is with no less humility that I am delighted to accept this award this year. It has been a tough year, in the trade, which has been well documented. I am so lucky to have a fantastic team supporting me and a brilliant bunch of customers who enjoy what we do. Not least, Thank you CAMRA for this award. Hope to see you all on Thursday night for the presentation.”
Contact: Richard Brooks, bristol@camrabristol.org.uk
Third-party news items that are posted on the Guild website’s news section come from press releases received by the Guild. These press releases are posted as they have been received and their publication on the Guild website is intended as an informational service provided to our members and website visitors. As such, the publication of a story from a third-party source is neither an endorsement of the content, nor its sender, by the Guild. For enquiries on any news item, please use the contact details that can be found at the bottom of each post.