Community-owned pubs clinch top spots in Camra contest

The top three pubs in North West Yorkshire Camra’s Pub of the Year contest are all community-owned.

The Countryman’s Inn at Hunton has been announced as this year’s winner.

In second place was the George and Dragon, Hudswell, which had the accolade of being the Camra National Pub of the Year in 2016 and Yorkshire Pub of the Year in both 2017 to 2020 and in third place came the Green Dragon in Exelby near Bedale.

The scoring is carried out over several months and involved several visits to the six shortlisted pubs.

The branch includes the towns of Richmond, Bedale, Northallerton and Thirsk, Osmotherley, as well as Swaledale and Wensleydale.

The winning pub had been run by the villagers for many months after long term landlord, Tony Jackson, became unwell.

Shortly after his retirement the Countryman’s Community Pub Society (CCPS) Ltd was formed in order to secure its future as a community asset.

Then in September 2022, following a successful fundraising campaign and support from the local community, the pub was purchased.

Camra said it was a “thriving and very welcoming village pub run by Lisa and Dan, with an excellent range of local ales behind the bar”.

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