Community pub presented with Rural Pub of The Year Award

The Racehorse Inn, Westhall near Halesworth has been presented with the award for Rural Pub of the Year by North East Suffolk CAMRA Chairman, Mike Davey.

Steve Gray (left) receiving award from Mike Davey
 

The award was presented on Saturday 20th May to Steve Gray, a co-founder of the pub.

Mr Gray, 66, also works part-time in the local beer and wine business, with Adnams. He has good contacts in the trade, which were helpful when establishing the pub.

“From humble beginnings, 3½ years ago, to Rural Pub of the Year is pretty good” said Mr Gray.

“We started by running a bar at the village hall, once a month, then formed a committee focused on trying to buy the pub”

Funding to buy the pub was obtained through the profits from the pop-up bar, from a share sale scheme and from the government’s Community Fund.

“We opened just before Covid hit, then were closed down. We survived by doing take-outs.

“Getting into the Good Beer Guide this year has been a boost”. Apparently, since appearing in the guide, they’ve had ‘Pub Tickers’ arriving from as far afield as the USA. Pub Tickers travel the country, visiting pubs in the guide, ticking them off as they go.

The community has really pulled together to run the pub, says Steve: “There’s loads of us; 5 or 6 in the Cellar Team alone. There must be over 30 in total”. Almost all the staff are unpaid volunteers, although the pub provides paid employment for several local teenagers.

Business is growing well: “When we started, we were just buying in a small, 36 pint barrel [of ale], but this week already we’ve got through two 72 pint barrels” says Steve.

Chris Luck, 64, from Beccles holds several roles in the local CAMRA branch. “We don’t decide which pubs win Pub of the Year awards. We have a process in place. We invite all branch members to nominate pubs for the Good Beer Guide. Once a pub gets into the guide, we ask members which they think should be the Overall Pub of the Year, Rural Pub of the Year and Town Pub of the Year”. The pubs with the most member votes get the awards.

Customer Winky Evans, from All Saints South Elmham, comes to the pub because the people are so welcoming and the food is great: “There is a good aura in there, a good feeling and a good welcome” she says. “I’m happy to come up here on my own”.

The pub is looking for a new chef, since the existing chef has had to leave through ill health.

The event was attended by former East Suffolk councillor, Graham Elliott, proprietor of The Geldeston Locks, another popular local Community Pub.

--Ends—

Article published in the East Anglian Daily Times and Beccles and Bungay Journal.

© Jez Donaldson. jezdonaldson@gmail.com. Tel. 07989 388040.

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