Pub of the Year winner unveiled

So good they won it twice.
Photo Neil Cross
Stella and Rob Povall at the New Hall Tavern, Cuerdale Lane, Preston	
Pub of the Year Winner.Photo Neil Cross
Stella and Rob Povall at the New Hall Tavern, Cuerdale Lane, Preston	
Pub of the Year Winner.
Photo Neil Cross Stella and Rob Povall at the New Hall Tavern, Cuerdale Lane, Preston Pub of the Year Winner.

Staff at the New Hall Tavern in Samlesbury have scooped the LEP Pub of the Year award for the second year running.

The competition, decided by readers, attracted hundreds of votes for premises across central Lancashire.

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“It’s absolutely fantastic, we’re overwhelmed”, said landlady Stella Povall, who runs the New Hall Tavern with husband Rob, 47.

Fred HudsonFred Hudson
Fred Hudson

She added: “My dad Fred Hudson died six weeks ago and he was the one who always entered us for competitions and got everyone voting for us .

“He helped us to get where we are today, so I was glad we were able to tell him the day before he passed away that we’d got into the top 10 he was so pleased, so it’s extra special for us.

“We told him the day before he died that we’d made it to the final 10.

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“So it meant an awful lot to us this year to win. A lot of people were rooting for us.”

Fred HudsonFred Hudson
Fred Hudson

The pub, in Cuerdale Lane, beat off competition from the Sir Tom Finney in Central Drive which came second, and Pearsons in Market Street, Chorley, which came third.

Stella, 39, said: “I think what makes us stand out is that there’s not many country pubs left.

“We also do really good, home cooked food, we’re in the Good Beer Guide and we have friendly staff.

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“And there’s so much community spirit around here. When the pub closed down before we took over, there were so many calls for it to reopen.”

Having worked for the previous landlord since 2003, Stella and Rob took over as licencees seven and a half years ago, after it had been closed for six months.

It was a special moment for the couple who first met across the bar in 1998. Stella was working at the pub and Rob was a chef at a restaurant across the road. They have gone on to have five children together.

The LEP Pub of the year award isn’t the only accodale the team of eight have achieved. For the past three years they have been named Enterprise Inns Community Heroes for going above and beyond in their duty as publicans.

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