THE Bell Inn at Lacock has been crowned Pub of the Year for selling the best quality ale in North West Wiltshire – beating off competition from over 130 pubs in the area.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) group, hand out the prestigious award every year with its 650 members voting in six different categories including quality of ale, good value and community focus.

Each branch of CAMRA is asked to select their favourite choice, and with 136 pubs in North Wiltshire, chairman, Dave Maloney said the 650 members had a hard decision to make.

“Having spoken to a number of members, The Bell Inn’s quality is absolutely excellent and you can’t fault it,” Mr Maloney added.

“I’ve had people email me, who aren’t local, to say that the customer service they received was second to none and the staff made them feel like they had been going to the pub all their life.

“A lot of pubs are closing down but the idea of a community pub is one where people go along and meet new friends and The Bell Inn has that.

“It is a bit of a destination pub and you get a lot of people go there not just for the food but also the ale and it has a really community feel to the pub.

The Bell Inn have won the accolade nine time in the last 15 years and throughout this time, owners Alan and Heather Shepherd have even had the time to produce their own ale with Bath Ales.

Mr Shepherd said: “It was really great to get the award back and we now produce our own ale and I think that is something that makes us stand out from other pubs.

“It is wonderful to win and we feel really proud that it reflects the hard work and effort of the team.”

The team also support local charities by hosting fundraisers and in the last five years, they have raised over £65,000 for the new cancer unit at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.