The award-winning pub celebrating 10 years of success - and where members enjoy perks

Staff are beaming with pride, and manager Anna Reynolds says she could not be happier after a decade of success.

Anna has worked at The Firs for 16 years in total, working first as a barmaid before being given the opportunity to take over the running of the pub in 2019. She feels it was her calling to do so.

She says: "I have been in the trade since I was 18-years-old, so I've always been involved with pubs.

"In 2019 the landlady left and I was asked to take over, as I have a great knowledge about the place, the drinks, and everything to do with the pub.

"I still learn more each day but it was a natural fit, I have enjoyed taking over.

"You don't get too much of a social life in this job but I enjoy it, and much prefer being on this side of the bar than the other side.

"It is certainly hard work running the place but if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't be here doing it."

The pub has been about for around 50 years according to Anna, and it was first introduced as a members club with very strict rules on who could enter.

However, as times have changed, there has been a loosening on entry. Speaking about this Anna adds: "We have come off the membership only to enter.

"There still is a membership to enter but if somebody without one tries to come in, then we allow them to with the hope that they will sign up.

"With the membership they get access into the club, with discount off the drinks, discount on hiring our function room, and they get first dibs on any events that take place here, so there are definitely advantages to join and with all the discounts, it makes it worth it."

The membership is £25 per year with a £10 admin fee, or £38 for a joint membership with a £10 admin fee.

Members are also able to play on their two full-sized snooker tables, which is exclusive to them only.

The pub is passionate about its bar sports, and they have a snooker team, a pool team, and a darts team.

Anna says: "We are passionate about sports here, especially the Wolves.

"The few times through the season that Wolves are on TV, we get a full crowd here and we put it on our four-metre square screen, along with our other TVs around the place.

"We get a lot of people in coming to watch the sports and the big events - the atmosphere gets amazing."

To mark the celebration of winning the CAMRA award, the pub is hosting an ale and cider festival over the weekend, with 10 ales and 10 ciders on offer, along with live entertainment over the weekend.

Families are welcome and enjoy the event, with garden and decking area, and it is open to non-members as well as members.

Despite the pub trade going through a testing period following the Covid pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis, Anna said she was grateful that people are still coming out to spend their hard earned money here.

She said: "I really want to thank everybody, all the staff that help run the place including my partner Dave, and the committee who back me.

"I'm just lucky to be here despite all of us going through Covid and that trying time and now with the cost of living going so high, people still want parties and they are still booking with us.

"We are actually fully booked in June and July, which is amazing, we are so grateful people are still spending their money with us.

"Having the function room has really helped us when it comes to bills, and so we are doing all right at the moment."