Holly Bush, Church Broughton, Derbyshire

Two beer awards, £2,000 and an in-pub cellar training session — that's what Marston's lessees Jannine and Matthew Clarke have gained so far from their participation in CaskForce.

The hosts have been in it from the start, and each year since the initiative began they've been given the chance to raise the bar that bit higher.

In the first year they won £500 to invest in the pub and the chance to win Cask Marque accreditation, which they duly did. The second year brought ABCQ training for staff and £1,000.

And this year they've come away with a further £500 and the BBPA's Beautiful Beer assessment. Jannine says the pub's score of 190 out of a possible 200, which was rewarded with a gold certificate, is down to a rigorous beer-quality regime.

"It's nice to be acknowledged that you're maintaining standards," she adds. "We gained publicity and the cash we've received has always been timely.

"With the £1,000 we were able to buy a TV for our small locals' bar just as the World Cup started, and we bought tables and chairs for outside the year before. So we've been able to spend money on things that make the customer experience a little bit better."

There are no plans to extend the pub's two handpulls; instead the focus is on keeping its mainstay, Marston's Pedigree, in top form. But the Clarkes offer a different guest ale every month and plan to stock a beer from local microbrewery Derventio, as part of the Derbyshire Food and Drink Festival.