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27th November 2012

CAMRA National Pub of the Year 2012 finalists announced

Pubs from north Wales, Kent, Lancashire and Devon vying for the crown of best in the UK!
Finalists-
Bridge End Inn, Ruabon (5 Bridge Street, Wrexham, LL14 6DA)
Conqueror Alehouse, Ramsgate (4C Grange Road, Kent, CT11 9LR)
Baum, Rochdale (33-37 Toad Lane, Greater Manchester, OL12 0NU)
Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton (Devon, EX17 5AL)

Issued: Tuesday November 27th 2012
Status: For immediate use

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has officially announced the four pubs making it into the final of its National Pub of the Year competition for 2012.

CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year competition has been going on throughout 2012, with local and regional judging rounds leading to these final stages.

Pubs are scored by CAMRA members on the various aspects which make up a great pub, including its community focus, service and welcome, atmosphere, decor, value for money, but most importantly for the judges, the quality of the real ale served.

The current national champion, the Bridge End Inn, in Ruabon, Wrexham, has continued its remarkable success in CAMRA’s flagship competition, featuring once again in the final.

Peter McGivern, Bridge End Inn licensee, said:

‘We are extremely pleased to see how a year after our success as the overall winner in the competition, we are judged to be keeping up our high standards. It’s a great credit to the staff and everyone involved in the pub that things are going well, we aren’t being complacent, and we are working to a high level all the time.’

The other finalists are the Conqueror Alehouse in Ramsgate, Kent, The Baum in Rochdale, Lancashire, and the Tom Cobley Tavern in Spreyton, Devon.

The finalists all spoke of their delight at making the final.

Colin Aris, Conqueror Alehouse licensee, said:

‘We are obviously absolutely thrilled and proud to be the first micro pub and pub from Ramsgate to have ever got this far in this national competition. This success is vindication of the micro pub model, and shows such pubs have a valid place in today’s industry.’

Heidi Crompton, Baum co-owner, said:

‘We are ecstatic to hear this news of our success. We are one of the only traditional family pubs in our area, and are all about getting involved in the community. We ensure all our staff are well-trained and part of a big family here, and our emphasis is on buying and supporting local, independent producers – from our food to our beer.’

Roger Cudlip, Tom Cobley Tavern licensee, said:

‘It’s a bit of a shock to us, but fantastic news for us being a small pub in the middle of the countryside. This success is a big boost to all the staff, it puts us on the map and really brings in an awful lot of trade. It’s great to get a bit of good news, we’re chuffed to bits.’

With the overall winner of CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year competition to be announced in February 2013, Julian Hough, CAMRA Pubs Director, spoke of the quality of the four finalists. He said:

‘In challenging economic times it’s a credit to each of these four pubs and their teams that they have reached the National final in CAMRA’s Pub of the Year competition. Uniquely this year, all four are diverse in terms of size and business model. These pubs exemplify how combining first quality real ale, listening to the needs of their customer and community base, supporting local breweries and paying attention to detail can drive trade.’

END

Notes to editors-
CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year competition is judged by CAMRA’s 145,000 members. Each of the 200 CAMRA branches vote for their favourite pub. The branch winners are entered into 16 regional competitions, with the 16 winners then battling it out to reach these final stages.

Images of the finalists can be obtained by contacting the CAMRA press office at jon.howard@camra.org.uk

For further information-
CAMRA Press Office, 01727 798443
Jon Howard, CAMRA Press Manager, 07939 425471