THE White Bear pub is celebrating after being named the best pub in Barnsley.
It beat off competition from more than 280 outlets to be crowned overall winner in Barnsley’s Civic Trust Retail Awards, also scooping the award for best retail offer.
Judging was done through mystery customer visits and the White Bear, on Church Street, scored top marks.
The judges were impressed with the investment its owners, Wear Inns, had made, describing the facilities as 'superb' with excellent standards throughout the pub, which provided 'extremely good value for money'.
The judges paid tribute to the staff who they said were incredibly helpful and friendly, providing superb service, with nothing being too much trouble whether a customer was new to the pub or a regular.
"To be named the best pub was fantastic but then to get the overall retail award over so many of the town’s great businesses was amazing," said the pub's manager, Lee Bardsley.
The Barnsley Civic Trust works with local partners to deliver an award, for town centre shops and businesses, recognising business skills, innovation, architectural design, the impact of window displays on the street scene and customer service.
John Weir, managing director of Wear Inns, said: "We have spent a lot of money on refurbishing the pub and the function room and working with staff to create an excellent customer experience.
"We're very proud that The White Bear has won this prestigious which is a tribute to the hard work of Lee and his team."
