Pub of the Season
Westmorland Branch
PUB OF THE SEASON –
WINTER 2007/8
Westmorland Branch are
very pleased to announce that THE Rifleman's Arms has been voted as
our Pub of the Season for Winter 2007/8
After
much local speculation about the future of many local pubs in
Kendal, the Westmorland Branch are delighted to celebrate what they
consider a local success story. We voted The Rifleman’s Arms on
Greenside the well-deserved winner of their Winter Pub of the Season
2008 award.
After a succession
of tenants in recent years, The Rifleman’s looked a likely candidate
for closure when its owning company sold it off in a deal involving
large numbers of similar outlets. However to the good fortune of
local residents and CAMRA members alike, the new owners had the
insight to put in John Roper as manager of the Rifleman’s who in
less than a year has made it an example of everything that is to be
treasured in a good community pub.
CAMRA has long
maintained that pubs should be seen as a vital part of the community
around them and has used the slogan “The Pub is the Hub” to promote
this. The Rifleman’s Arms is an excellent example in practice, with
the added bonus that it serves a wide variety of real ales in
excellent condition.
Both the Fellside Forum and Greenside Friends and Neighbours groups
work together collaboratively with the Rifleman’s Arms to put on
local events within the pub and on the green in front
for the benefit of the local residents, and CAMRA values this as a
positive step away from the image of pubs as places where
irresponsible people drink to excess and behave antisocially.
Only recently a
CAMRA survey showed that nearly sixty pubs are closing each month
and that the rate of closure seems to be increasing. Whilst there
may be many factors affecting the trend, the price of supermarket
beers and the knock-on effect of people’s drinking habits are
thought to be major contributors.
The saying “Use it
or lose it” is one that CAMRA locally likes to apply to our
wonderful South Lakes hostelries, as once they’ve closed it is rare
for a pub to reopen.
Local branch
Chairman, David Currington when presenting John with his
Certificate, said “In the Westmorland branch area we are just so
pleased that pubs like the Rifleman’s Arms are showing the way it
can be done.”
Congratulations to
John and why not pay the Pub a visit soon!
John Roper behind his
bar at The Rifleman’s
This page last updated
28/04/2008 13:14
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