A BLACKDOWN Hills village public house is to celebrate in style with its local community after being crowned Stonegate Group’s Somerset Pub of the Year for 2023.
The York Inn, Churchinford, will host a fun-filled celebration party for the whole village on September 2 to commemorate its prestigious achievement.
The award came as a surprise to licensee Dan Prettejohn and his team, after they made the shortlist of the final 10 pubs in the competition.
The popular pub’s loyal customers helped Mr Prettejohn win the title by voting for the York in the company’s competition.
A Stonegate spokesman said: “The York Inn always has the community at the forefront of everything it does.
“From supplying delicious food and refreshing drinks to amazing regular entertainment and fund-raisers, the pub offers something for everybody.”
Mr Prettejohn, who has previously served the community as a parish councillor, was also recognised for ‘Service to the Community’ by the former Somerset County Council in it’s chairman’s awards.
He and his team also won an award for their ‘Meals on Wheels’ during the Covid pandemic and recently secured a contract to supply the village primary school with school meals.
Mr Prettejohn said: “We are so thrilled to have won Somerset Pub of the Year and for our hard work to be recognised.
“At the York Inn, we do all we can to support the local community, and we are so grateful for their support.
“The team and I are always thinking of ways to help others, and we are beyond lucky to be able to use the York Inn as a platform and community hub for fund-raising initiatives.
“We cannot wait to celebrate this achievement with you all.”
The September party will feature a hog roast and wood fired pizza for guests and a live band will be performing.
Stonegate Group is the largest pub company in the UK with more than 4,500 sites and 16,000 employees.