The awards aim to celebrate the work of Marston’s tenanted and leased pub businesses, recognising those who have gone above and beyond in the past year.
The judging process took place over two rounds, starting with each pub being visited by teams from Marston’s HQ. Following this, an internal panel of experts within each category judged the shortlisted pubs, before the winner was selected.
The six categories at the awards were Best Entertainment & Events, Best Food Pub, Stand Out Service, Rising Star, Community Spirit and Best Drink pub.
How to get it right
Marston’s operations director Ed Hancock said: “Our annual Pub of the Year Awards are back after two years, it allows us to really celebrate the work and effort put in by our tenant partners.
“The Overall Pub of the Year prize is highly coveted across all our pubs and the Gun Inn has continued to grow in its value to its community and its guests in equal measure.
“Sally’s record over a ten-year period is an example of how to get it right. It is important to us we recognise the achievements of our partners, and we are tremendously proud of all the winners.”
Hard work reaps rewards
The Gun Inn tenant partner Sally Harris said it was “amazing” to take home the Pub of the Year Award and the Best Entertainment Award.
She continued: “I’m really proud of all the team here, we’ve worked so hard, and it feels great to have that work recognised by Marston’s. We were up against our peer group across the country, I know there are some outstanding pubs which makes this even more special.
“We have worked hard over 10 years to keep our offer fresh for our guests, whether it is events, food or just being part of the community. This is great recognition.”