The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) today announced the Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton, Devon, as its National Pub of the Year 2006.
Pub of the Year judges were bowled over by the warm welcome, fantastic service, wonderful home-cooked food and high quality real ale to be found at the Tom Cobley Tavern. This 16th century village inn has been run by Roger and Carol Cudlip for the last four years. In that time they have turned the Tom Cobley Tavern into the epitome of a Community Pub, acting as an indispensable meeting place for local groups, sports teams and residents.
Roger Cudlip said: “I am absolutely over the moon. This is the highest accolade CAMRA can give to a pub and naturally we could not be more delighted that it has been given to us.
“Our success is down to the support of the villagers. We look after them and they look after us in exchange. The Tom Cobley Tavern is a proper rural pub and every night we have a great clientele mix of young and old. The key is to get involved and be part of the life of the community.”
The presentation of the award will take place at The Tom Cobley Tavern at 1pm on Friday February 16th to mark the beginning of CAMRA's inaugural Community Pubs Week, a campaign to highlight the vital role pubs play in the lives of local communities.
Bob Stukins, CAMRA's Pubs Director and one of the final judges said: “Every one of the judges was extremely impressed by the standard of the Tom Cobley Tavern. It is a fantastic example of a true Community Pub, welcoming new customers like old friends and being a hub for the lives of the people it serves.
“Finalists in the Pub of the Year competition are judged on the quality of the real ale, atmospheres, décor, service, clientele mix and value. On all of these points the Tom Cobley Tavern scored exceptionally and is therefore an extremely worthy winner of this accolade.”
The CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2007 says of the pub: “The Tom Cobley offers an exceptional beer range with eight regular ales, altogether there are usually four on handpump and up to 10 on gravity. A thriving village pub, with a modest bar and a spacious dining room at the rear, it is popular for food as well as beer with locals and others in the know.”
ENDS
Pub of the Year 2006 finalists (in no particular order)
Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton, Devon: 01647 231314
Failford Inn, Failford, Ayreshire: 01292 540117
West Riding Refreshment Rooms, Dewsbury Stn, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire: 01924 459193
Dove Street Inn, Ipswich, East Anglia: 01473 211270
Pictures of the four finalists are available by calling 01727 798444 or emailing
tony.jerome@camra.org.uk
Notes for Editors:
Reporters, photographers or film crews wishing to attend the presentation of the award can contact the pub directly on 01647 231314, or CAMRA Press Officer Owen Morris on 07939 425471.
CAMRA's National Pub of the Year competition is judged by the CAMRA membership. Each of the 197 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.
There are 60,000 pubs in the UK and each is eligible to be entered into the competition as long as they serve real ale.
For more information about Community Pubs Week or to find out some of the planned activities pubs will be taking part in, log on to www.pubsweek.org
Community Pubs Week supersedes National Pubs Week, which ran successfully for four years until 2006. However due to evidence that community pubs are under particularly severe threat CAMRA has refocused its efforts to protect them specifically.
The new Community Pubs Week will complement a range of CAMRA-led initiatives including the Community Pubs Foundation, launched in 2005 to support campaigns to save local public houses by offering assistance to community groups, as well as a whole range of local campaigns by CAMRA to save and promote community pubs.
For more information contact:
CAMRA Press Officer Owen Morris 01727 798443/07939 425471
CAMRA's Pubs Director and one of the final judges, Bob Stukins: 07788 641294
CAMRA Senior Press and Marketing Manager Tony Jerome: 01727 798444/ 07736 948186
CAMRA South West Regional Director Ian Packham: 07887 876753
CAMRA Research and Information Manager Iain Loe: 01727 798449