Best pub in Britain is Welsh

For the first time ever a Welsh pub wins CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year!

-Revived village local, Bridge End Inn, Ruabon, scoops CAMRA national title 
-Pubs from Bedfordshire, Cornwall and Lancashire make up other finalists

WINNER: Bridge End Inn, 5 Bridge Street, Ruabon, Wrexham, LL14 6DA, 01978 810881
PRESENTATION (AT THE VENUE): Friday February 10^th 2012, 1pm

A small community pub in north Wales transformed by a local family has today been announced as the best pub in Britain by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

The Bridge End Inn, Ruabon, not only enters CAMRA’s history books as the first ever Welsh pub to win its National Pub of the Year competition, but having only been re-opened by its current owners in March 2009, becomes one of the most remarkable success stories in the competition’s history.

CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year competition recognises all the criteria that make a great pub, including atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, value for money, customer mix, but most importantly, the quality of the beer.

The Bridge End Inn was taken over and subsequently revitalised by the McGivern family in 2009, with the pub earmarked as the ideal premises for the family microbrewery – McGivern Ales - overseen by son Matthew. Having reopened the pub 5 weeks after taking it on, the McGivern family were praised by CAMRA members for restoring the pub’s interior, and for introducing an extensive real ale and cider range.

Now serving 7 real ales and a selection of local ciders at any one time, the pub has stocked real ales from over 100 breweries since opening, with a particular emphasis on local produce. As well as acting as the brewery tap for McGivern Ales, other breweries from north Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire feature prominently at the bar.

Peter McGivern, Bridge End Inn licensee, said:

‘We are a family business, and the pub has been a real labour of love. What we strived to do was create a pub not focused on food that we would enjoy visiting, putting the product first and offering a wide range of traditional beer styles. As a result we’ve built up a mixed trade of locals and beer lovers from all over Britain.

‘We are delighted with this national award, particularly as we were told when first taking on the pub that there was little demand for real ale in the area. Through a lot of passion and hard work for what we do, we’ve enjoyed great success in a short space of time, which couldn’t have been achieved without the support of family, close friends, staff and customers.’

Hailing the success of the pub, Julian Hough, CAMRA Pubs Director, said:

‘The pub is an unbelievable success story, and is a perfect case study of a local outlet playing a pivotal role at the heart of a small community. By investing time into providing a quality beer range full of choice, the pub in a short space of time has become revered across Britain by many beer lovers. I offer my personal congratulations to the Bridge End Inn for such rapid progression in taking CAMRA’s national pub title.’

The presentation of the National Pub of the Year competition will take place at the Bridge End Inn on Friday February 10^th 2012, at 1pm. 

The Bridge End Inn beat 3 other finalists this year to claim the crown. These pubs are-

Engineers Arms, 68 High Street, Henlow, Bedfordshire, SG16 6AA
Tel. 01462 812284, 

Front, Custom House Quay, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 3JT
Tel. 01326 212168

Swan with Two Necks, Main Street, Pendleton, Lancashire, BB7 1PT
Tel. 01200 423112,