WYRE Forest CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) has named its Pub of the Year and the runner-up.
The King and Castle, owned and operated by the Severn Valley Railway, took the Gold title with CAMRA members scoring the pub on its warm hospitality, an impressive selection of quality beers and a comfortable, relaxing environment that encourages conversation and enjoyment.
The accolade represents the views after ‘secret shopper’ style visits. Wyre Forest CAMRA is an active branch of nearly 300 local members who are all committed to campaigning for beers and pubs.
Nick Yarwood, CAMRA spokesperson, said: “The King and Castle stands out as a fantastic community pub with a welcoming atmosphere.
“The team have achieved a remarkable transformation, offering a diverse array of consistently high-quality cask beers, real ciders, and other refreshments
“The offering is a huge credit to the dedicated bar staff, their cellar expertise and attentive customer service.
“Well done to Chris, Kat and all the team.”
The SVR’s visitor experience manager Nicky Freeman said: “Our team has worked incredibly hard to establish the King and Castle as a true community hub, under the leadership of joint managers Chris Dainty and Kat Forty.
“Chris has been instrumental in maintaining exceptional standards across our beer selection, while Kat has transformed the venue’s social offering with a vibrant programme of live music, quizzes and al fresco events on our beautiful station concourse.
“This award is a fantastic recognition of the whole team’s dedication.”
Chris and Kat said: “We’d like to give a massive thank you to the staff and customers for making this pub so special.
“We set out to ensure everyone gets a warm welcome and a great pint every time, whether in for the night or having just missed a train.
“We would also like to dedicate this award to Louis Chance, our previous manager, who sadly passed away last year.”
The King and Castle is open Tuesday to Sunday, with hot food available from midday to 4pm.
The Silver – runner-up – award has gone to The Chester Tavern, Kidderminster.
CAMRA members credited The Chester’s pub manager Andy Hipkiss with maintaining a vibrant local pub with friendly service and a reliable high quality of cask beers.
Andy sources both cask and craft beers from Worcestershire breweries, supporting the county’s long tradition of brewing interesting and tasty beers.
The Chester is also a regular popular live music venue.
Andy said: “It’s great to have won this award. It’s a credit to the staff and I’d like to thank them and our fantastic customers for their support since we opened in 2022.”
Assistant manager Matt Lamb added it was an honour to be nominated again after winning the gold award last year.
“Everyone’s still loving the pub – the sense of community in this place is great, everyone who walks in brings something.”
He praised the Andy and the staff’s hard work and the contributions from customers.
The Hollybush in Stourport received the Bronze award.
Cider Pub of the Year was The Anchor Inn in Caunsall for its support for real cider – Barbourne Cider is always available from the barrel.
CAMRA Chair Rob Budworth said: “There are so many good pubs in Wyre Forest, probably 30 of them are top real ale pubs that could put them into contention for our awards.
“Unfortunately, we only have a limited number of winners.”
