A DROITWICH pub has been named as the runner up for Community Pub of the Year for the south region in the Marstons pub awards.

Landlords of The Old Cock Inn in Friar Street, Graham Leonard and Stuart Wilcox, were surprised to receive their invitation to the awards event at Newbury racecourse last week, and delighted to discover they had been nominated for the Community Pub of the Year award for the south.

The pub has developed a reputation for playing host to a number of community groups in Droitwich including the Droitwich Lions, the Norbury Theatre, the Droitwich Community Choir, Transition Droitwich, the Women's Institute, the University of the Third Age, and LGBT as well as a number of charity and business organisations.

In competition with hundreds of other pubs, the Old Cock Inn came in second, with Mr Leonard and Mr Wilcox keen to take the top spot next year.

The award was determined by a mystery shopper from Marstons who posed as a customer, gathering information about the pub and its work in the community.

Mr Wilcox said: “We took the pub over about three years ago. It’s always had a good reputation but about 4-5 years ago it was having a bad time and we turned it back into a real pub and a pub for the community.

“We’re very proud. It’s a good pat on the back for us. We’ve worked very hard over the years to put the pub back on the map for Droitwich, so it’s onwards and upwards.”

Already nominated for next year’s award, The Old Cock Inn will be working even harder on its community appeal in June of this year when it plays host to Friar Fest, a festival of music and culture taking place on Friar Street on Sunday, June 29.