Best Community

Pub of the Year

This category, sponsored by Mitchells & Butlers, recognises pubs that focus on meeting the needs of their communities

Anglia: Blacksmiths Arms Little Clacton, Essex

Mark and Linda Hampshire had no real hesitation in taking a 20-year lease on the Blacksmiths Arms when it came on the market two years ago. Mark had worked for the previous landlord for eight years and had lived in the Little Clacton area for most of his life. He remarks: 'I knew the trade was good. It's the village pub and we get a wide cross section of regular customers.'

Linda continues: 'We don't get an awful lot of new people coming into the area. People don't want to move out of the village.'

With such a stable population, local issues take on extra importance and the staff and management at the Blacksmiths Arms have emphasised the pub's role as the focal point of village life.

One of the groups to benefit from the generosity of the pub and its regulars is the local community care organisation. Linda explains: 'We helped by donating money for a transport scheme. This enables people who do not have transport to get to and from appointments with their doctor or at the hospital.'

Linda has also transported people to Colchester hospital 15 miles away on a regular basis. She notes: 'People know we are here all day, so if we can help, we will. And they support us.'

The community spirit also shows in little ways, such as when a local mother had a punctured wheel on her baby's buggy. It was the Blacksmiths Arms that came to the rescue.

Another beneficiary of the Punch outlet's sponsorship was the Little Clacton Carnival, which made a return last summer after an absence of five years. Mark and Linda provided a beer tent and barbecue for the event.

The pub plays host to a charity group that calls itself Black RAC (Real Ale Club) of which Mark is a member. The group organises fund-raising events that benefit local causes to the tune of £3,000 to £4,000 every year.

Carlton: Three Compasses Hornsey, London N8

There can't be many pubs that receive praise from a MP during a maiden speech. Yet this is what Liberal Democrat Lynne Featherstone said: 'Our campaign headquarters was above a pub: the Three Compasses in Hornsey High Street. I attribute at least 1% of my 14.6% swing to the popularity of our headquarters.'

It's easy to see why her comments ring true. In little over two years, trade newcomers Mike Smith, pictured right, and brother and sister team Nigel and Alison Oxford have not only rejuvenated a desperately run-down pub, but have also helped regenerate the surrounding area.

The trio persuaded more than 60 local businesses to contribute towards Christmas lights to brighten the high street. Local community groups were also persuaded to get together to create a summer fair to coincide with the existing Hornsey Carnival Parade and thereby help revitalise the carnival. In addition, Mike, Nigel and Alison were prime movers in establishing a traders and stakeholders group that has set an agenda to improve the area.

Numerous local charities have also benefited from the Three Compasses' fundraising activities including Macmillan Cancer Relief, which received nearly £10,000 after a black-tie dinner at the Punch leasehold.

The Three Compasses is now an inviting location for people from all walks of life and is zoned to create separate areas for different activities such as eating, playing pool or darts, watching sports action on the big screen, or just spending some time relaxing.

The final words come from their MP, who wrote to support the Three Compasses' entry: 'The management team has been instrumental in helping to bring together local community-spirited people to help residents feel proud of their area.'

Central: Royal Oak

Tingewick, Buckinghamshire

To say that the Royal Oak at Tingewick has close links with the local community is something of an understatement. For licensee Tony Diston sits on the parish council, holds the keys to the village hall and the school playground opposite, and will act as bingo caller and auctioneer for the village's horticultural society.

Tony and partner Sandra let customers use their barbecue in the beer garden and will run them home in the pub's minibus if needed.

What's more, the Distons let local teenagers, subject to parental permission, use the Admiral Taverns' outlet between 4pm and 7pm every day when they can play pool or dominoes, watch television and enjoy a soft drink.

Tony notes: 'There's very little for youngsters to do in the village, so we advertised the facility in the local parish magazine and it's been a big success. I am very much opposed to drug taking and antisocial behaviour and it's simply a case of doing my bit to keep them off the streets while their parents are at work.

With his business hat on, Tony knows the same youngsters are his future customers. Tingewick is a small village with three pubs competing for the same trade and he reckons that his actions could give him a head start when they turn 18.

'My aim when I left my garage business in the village and took over the pub five years ago was to give the local community their pub back. It had become run-down to the extent that customers wiped their feet on the way out.

'It's the other way round now and we set out from the start to immerse ourselves in local affairs and get involved. We got the pub teams going again and now have pool, dominoes and darts' teams based here, as well as three football teams,' says Tony.

The money collected in charity bottles on the bar has helped to build changing rooms for the local sports teams as well as contributing to feeding the ducks on the local pond.

Granada: Plungington Tavern Preston, Lancashire

It is six years since Graham Rowson and Angela Reid took over the Plungington Tavern to embark on a crusade that has seen a derelict pub transformed into a community gem. There are few people, if any, in this area of Preston who are unaware of the unique role the pub now plays in their lives.

Charity fundraising and supporting local societies or clubs are just two of the steps that Graham and Angela have taken to breathe life into the area. Community activities and a blue-chip service to customers are two other hallmarks of the Plungington's trading mission.

Graham reports: 'There are times when there are barely enough hours in a day to supervise all the activities going on here.' He adds with a laugh: 'I am sure if we were not in the pub industry, we could both easily carve out careers in social services or as community advisers.'

If every single project or event that the pub and its staff get involved with were to be listed, people might wonder how they ever have time to serve beer and maintain a quality service for their customers.

The Plungington is about half a mile from the town centre, deep in the campus land of the University of Central Lancashire. Although students account for much of the pub's trading base, customers range through all types and ages. Many older customers enjoy the free newspapers and complimentary tea and coffee served before noon.

Sports fans are attracted by the big screen, while the disabled know there's a warm welcome, with wheelchair assistance and Braille price lists too.

Add to this Graham's passion for staff training and service standards, and it presents a formidable line-up of amenities and facilities available to customers.

He notes: 'Our aim is to give every single customer a service experience they do not get in any other pub. This is not just a PR or marketing ploy, because the results speak for themselves. We are always looking at ways to improve what we do and support the community that little bit better.'

HTV: Carpenters Arms Clydach, West Glamorgan

'On your bike' might almost be Richie Saunders' catchphrase. Since taking over at the Carpenters Arms in 2001, Richie has organised an annual series of bike rides that have united the community of Clydach. It all started as a way of commemorating the lives of t