LOCAL BOOZER SCOOPS REGIONAL CROWN
We teamed up with John Smith’s to find pubs which, just like its beer, are Only Ordinary By Name. Entries flooded in from boozers across the region which might seem ordinary at first glance but have an extraordinary story to tell.
And you have been voting for your favourite, which will today be crowned as the local winner of the Only Ordinary By Name competition, and receive a £300 prize.
They will also go forward to the national final, where there is a £5,000 prize to be won. That includes £500 for the winning landlord or landlady as a reward for running Britain’s most remarkable pub, and £4,500 to be spent on improvements for customers.
And your local winner, the pub representing your area in the national final, is the Royal Oak in Huddersfield, HD7 5QS. This family-run pub has earned its place as the region’s favourite pub, with a year-long programme of events which bring the whole community together.
They include an annual fireworks night which sees more than 1,000 people packed into the large beer garden.
The pub also hosts a tug-of-war competition, race nights, a Halloween party, a pensioners’ Christmas party, live music shows and a pantomime at Christmas.
Landlady Jeanne even met her husband Bob at one of their popular events.
Soon after arriving, she held a Valentine’s Day raffle offering a meal with herself as the prize.
Bob was one of the locals who bought a £1 ticket in aid of the Macmillan charity and won the raffle. They hit it off and married soon after. Bob is now retired but still helps out behind the bar.
The pub dates back to the time when cottage industries thrived in the area and was originally a place of weaving. It also has an impressive collection of beer pump clips with more than 400 on display, all of which have been served since the popular landlady took over.
Jeanne, who has run the pub for 16 years, told of her delight at finding out that the Royal Oak had been crowned your local Only Ordinary By Name winner.
But she insisted she would not spend a penny of her £300 prize money on herself. Instead she pledged to use it to make the pub’s famous get-togethers even more special.
She said: “Every year for 16 years we’ve put on a pensioners’ Christmas dinner for around 45 people, including transport there and back and a present. But this year I’m going to use the money to book a local male voice choir to make the night even more magical. I wouldn’t dream of keeping the prize for myself!” Jeanne drummed up support on Facebook and by asking regulars to cast their votes. She said everyone was more than willing to support the pub because of how its regular events, including live bands and singers every week and a popular weekly quiz night, have made it the heartbeat of the community. Jeanne is now hoping the pub will impress the expert judging panel, who will decide which pub will be crowned the overall national champion – and receive a £5,000 prize.
She knows exactly what she will do if she wins the top prize, and it’s all about bringing locals together, especially elderly people who are alone.
She said: “My dream is to build on the Home Alone Club, which is a weekly thing for the elderly. I’ve always wanted to make it as special as possible but money is an issue. The cash would really help us do trips out, domino evenings and other get-togethers, and help people not be alone, not just at Christmas, but all the year round, which is something I feel strongly about. “If we won I’d be ecstatic.” The overall winning pub will also get a visit from TV comic Paddy McGuinness, who will drop in for a pint of John Smith’s to deliver the national prize. Take Me Out star Paddy has been fascinated by Britain’s extraordinary pubs since his mum saw a ghost when she was working as a barmaid at Ye Olde Man and Scythe in Bolton.
So cheers, and good luck to the Royal Oak. Every year for 16 years we’ve put on a pensioners’ Christmas dinner for around 45 people... this year I’m going to use the money to book a local male voice choir to make the night even more magical. Find out which pub won the national prize in the John Smith’s ‘Only Ordinary By Name’ competition, by picking up a copy of the Huddersfield Examiner on 17th August.