Hundreds of pubs backed for top title

A total of 441 taverns have already been nominated for the Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub competition, with the response rate having been so strong that organisers have decided to extend the public voting deadline until May 27.

And despite the fantastic initial response rate, competition bosses hope that people across the county will continue to submit their entries.

The competition is being run by the Welcome to Yorkshire tourism agency in association with the Yorkshire Post.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We’ve had a great response already from the great Yorkshire public voting for their favourite local pub, which is fantastic.

“We have some excellent pubs of all shapes and sizes across Yorkshire, and they are part of our brilliant and unique offer right across the county for visitors and residents.”

The competition is open to all pubs, from bars in the city centres of the likes of Leeds and Sheffield to quite village locals in the vast swathes of Yorkshire’s countryside. After May 27 judges will whittle the entries down to a top 10 which will then feature in a special Yorkshire Ale Trail campaign, produced by Welcome to Yorkshire.

The panel will also then select three pubs and the public will have the chance to vote for an overall winner.

The winning watering hole will then be announced at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show between July 12 and 14.

As well as celebrating Yorkshire’s fantastic range of pubs the competition also hopes to support the pub trade at a time when many are being forced into closure.

Among the hundreds of pubs nominated for the competition is Brandesburton’s The Black Swan.

Its landlord, Steve Fletcher, told the Yorkshire Post: “I am over-the-moon to be nominated. A lot of pubs have gone down recently and I find that to be very sad.

“A pub around the corner in a neighbouring village went under the other day and it is very sad that that has happened. We are lucky that we are based in a decent size village and have great customers who keep coming back.”

To register your vote log on to www.yorkshirepost.co.uk and follow the Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub link. As well as providing the pub’s name and address you will need to state in just a few words why you think it should win.