Caught on Camra

How I got here

I wanted to put right all the things I've seen wrong with pubs. Taking over the Swan in 1996 was the end of a 30-year yearning to own a pub and the beginning of a lot of hard work. When we took over the pub it had a bad reputation and an underage drink problem. We paid £97,000 for the property - it is now worth almost £1m. Over the past 10 years we have spent more than £100,000 on the pub, but it was all from yearly profits - we didn't borrow a penny.

Why my business is successful

1. Passion - I am very passionate about real ale and about the pub, I love doing the job and it shows because you try that little bit harder with everything you do.

2. Warm welcome - We have an open fire and the staff try to learn the customers' names.

3. Attractive - The outside of the pub has to look attractive to draw people in. We have hanging baskets and flowers to entice people.

4. Quality - That is quality of product and product knowledge. Our reputation goes before us and we have to keep high-quality products and ensure we know all about them.

My unique selling point

Real ale. This is the most important aspect of our business. We have become famous for the real ales we stock and it makes up 70% of our turnover. We never have fewer than 10 real ales and at the weekend we usually have 16. To name a few, we stock Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold, Mighty Oak Shamrock Stout, Banks and Taylor's SOD and our number-one bestseller Mighty Oak's Totham Parva, which is named after the village. We ensure quality by maintaining hygiene. You have to understand the brewing and fining process to look after real ale. It always leaves the brewery in tip-top condition, it is the host who messes it up. Once the barrel enters the pub, it is not moved until it is at the front of the queue to be served.

My best business ideas

1. Bring three, drivers drinks free - When a driver brings three drinking adults, he or she can drink for free. This encourages people to car share and more people come here for that reason. This is also a responsible drinks retailing measure.

2. Tilting stillages - We can see when a barrel is almost empty.

3. Beer Festival - It shows off our range of ales and attracts people who may not come otherwise.

Why my beer festival is a success

This year will be our 10th anniversary beer festival. We will have 100 ales and there are constantly around 200 people in the bar and marquee. We usually serve about 7,000 pints over seven days. Our reputation makes it a success and we advertise in the Camra publications so people at other beer festivals find out about us. Volunteers from Camra and the village help behind the bar so it in fact costs very little to run.

How I keep people at the pub longer

We have many pub games including bar billiards, shove ha'penny and shut the box, as well as ring the bull and horseshoes in the summer. Ring the bull is a game where you have to get a loop of string around what would've been a bull's horn. It's very difficult. The games don't attract people to the pub but they help to make them stay longer.

My marketing strategy

Winning the Camra award has been great for our marketing. I don't advertise in the local press but I do in Camra publications. I make the pub the best it can be, so I win awards and get positive editorial. I have 19 awards on display at the minute but I have more stored away. We are also children and dog-friendly. It is paramount to be at the heart of the community. The church is a mile out of the village so this is the only communal space. We sponsor the parish newsletter so the pub's name reaches 300 people that way. We also held a harvest supper for the church when we arrived and have continued that tradition for the past 10 years.

My training regime

This is really important. New staff are asked to work three shifts for £3 an hour alongside a fully trained member of staff. We teach them everything from how to hold a glass properly to information about the beer. We don't have a specific budget, we find the three-shift trial works well. Then they fly solo and we pay them £5 to £6 an hour.

Top tips for people thinking of joining the trade.

1. Passion - You've got to be passionate about

it: don't go into it thinking it'll be a roof over your head. It's a people business, not a money business.

2. Work experience - Go and work in the type of pub you think you want.

3. Research - If you're looking at a freehold, talk to a freeholder. If you're looking at a leasehold, find a lessee who has a lease with the company you're thinking of and ask them as many questions as you can.

4. Bank support - Get a good bank behind you. When my wife was taken ill, my bank manager called to say he had given me a £10,000 overdraft and to sign the cheques as normal, not to worry and to nurse Valerie better. That was HSBC in Maldon, Essex.

My future plans

Due to my wife's ill health we wanted our son Gavin to take over the pub. He worked here for nine months with no pay to help us get up and running and we're very grateful. He has recently agreed to take it on because he is very attached to the place. We will still take a percentage so our pension is sorted. I'm looking forward to spending time with Valerie and my boat.

My pub

Turnover 1996: £200 a week

Turnover 2005: £7,000 a week

Wet:Dry split: 95%:5%

Barrelage: 500+ a year

Ales: 10-16

Number of staff: 9

Weekly wage bill: £950 a week

Major awards: Camra National Pub of the Year 2002 and 2005