AN OKEHAMPTON pub which was crowned the North Devon 'Pub of the Year' by the Campaign for Real Ale has come runner-up in the South West heat.
The Plymouth Inn in West Street was pipped by a Plymouth pub in the regional round but owners Geoff and Jill Hoather are delighted with their success this year.
'We have been in the Good Beer Guide for seven years and so have always been in the running for the award,' he said. 'To actually win the North Devon section is brilliant because it covers an area from Okehampton right up to Ilfracombe and there are a lot of pubs along the way.'
The Pub of the Year award is not just down to serving Real Ales in tip-top condition but also the general ambience and atmosphere of the venue, friendliness, service and things like good food are taken into account.
When Geoff first took over the Plymouth Inn, he said his first ambition was to get in the Good Beer Guide and the second to win some kind of recognition.
Having achieved those he is now looking on a national level: 'We were runners-up in the South West and the winner of that goes into the national heat so maybe next year it will be our turn,' he said.
'The local award has already attracted new people into the pub so it's good for business.'
Most of the ales available at the Plymouth are from either from Devon or Cornwall and twice a year the pub also runs a beer festival.
It is a meeting place for several local groups and organises weekly walking and biking from the pub and visits to other beer festivals and breweries.
Geoff paid tribute to his staff and customers because they all helped to make the Plymouth Inn what it was — 'a true community pub'.