Keri crowned karaoke queen at Pub & Bar

Budding pop singer Keri Farish picked up a cheque for £1,000 after starring in the Pub Stars national karaoke competition at The Publican's Pub & Bar show last week.​ Keri's local, the Grapes in Tyne & Wear, was also a winner after she entered the competition at the pub in February.

Licensee Paul Scott picked up a cheque for £500, while Keri also wins a day in a recording studio and a commemorative gold disc of her winning performance.

Following a series of local and regional heats, Keri beat more than 20,000 contestants from across the country to triumph in the competition.

In front of a distinguished panel of judges including William Robinson, managing director of Liberty X management firm Kingdom International Artists, and The Publican's deputy editor Daniel Pearce, Keri performed Alone by Heart and It's Oh So Quiet by Bjork.

"Deciding on a winner for the grand final of Pub Stars was incredibly difficult," commented Bill Blackmore, managing director of competition sponsor Mediatheme.

"But Keri is a true winner and impressed us all with her voice and star quality."

Other highlights of Pub Bar included the Cask Beer Showcase, which saw supplier Waverley TBS give out more than 9,500 samples of 26 different beers over the three days.

Martin Breading, trade marketing director for WaverleyTBS, said: "We were delighted with the response our stand received at the show.

"The World of Beers stand provided a first class show case for our Beers of the World Catalogue."