HARD work has reaped a reward for a former teacher turned pub licensee who has proved himself top of the national class.
The Bridge End Inn, Ruabon, has become the first Welsh pub to scoop the prestigious national title of Best Pub in Britain by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.
It marks a rapid rise to success for Peter McGivern and his family, who acquired the building three years ago after a period of closure.
Mr McGivern, 60, called last orders on his full-time career as a teacher at Darland High School and set about working around the clock to re-open the venue to the public.
“It has been a labour of love,” he said.
“Before we opened we were working 18 hours a day to make sure we were ready.
"The building was in a bit of a state of disrepair and there was a lot of work to do before we could open and we were getting up at 7am and working right through to 1am, before going to bed and then doing the same thing the next day.
“Today it is still the same. We start working first thing in the morning and are still going until midnight.
“This award would not be possible without the support of our customers, close friends and staff and it has been a proper team-effort by members of my family.”
Mr McGivern and his wife Gillian were inspired to take the plunge into revitalising the pub as their son, Matthew, 31, was looking to pursue a career as a brewer.
Taking on The Bridge End Inn helped make it possible for Matthew to do just that.
“I suppose it was a gamble to do what we did but I always believed things would work out,” Mr McGivern added.
“My son’s knowledge is a massive help to us and between us we all play our part.
“I thought this area didn’t have enough pubs dedicated as cask ale outlets.
"We wanted the emphasis to be on beer rather than food and this has led to customers coming in through the doors.
“We will continue working hard and hopefully people will continue to enjoy coming here.”
Mr McGivern had no direct experience working in the pub trade until he took over the venue but has quickly embraced his career change after 26 years at Darland High School.
“It’s very similar in many ways,” he said. “It’s all to do with dealing with people.”
The family microbrewery of McGivern Ales is brewed on site by Matthew, while Mr McGivern’s daughter Helena has also played her part in the family claiming the award, which looked unlikely when they took on the premises.
“We are delighted with this national award, particularly as we were told when first taking on the pub that there was little demand for real ale in the area,” added Mr McGivern.
“Through a lot of passion and hard work for what we do, we’ve enjoyed great success in a short space of time, which couldn’t have been achieved without the support of family, close friends, staff and customers.”
The competition recognises all the criteria that makes a great pub, including atmosphere, decor, welcome, service and, most importantly, the quality of the beer.
When the pub was acquired in 2009, it had been closed for several months but was quickly earmarked as the ideal premises for the family microbrewery, McGivern Ales, which is overseen by Matthew.
Having re-opened the pub five weeks after taking it on, the McGivern family was praised by CAMRA members for its work in restoring the pub’s interior and for introducing an extensive real ale and cider range.
Hailing the success of the Bridge End Inn, Julian Hough, CAMRA pubs director, said: “The pub is an unbelievable success story, and is a perfect case study of a local outlet playing a pivotal role at the heart of a small community.
“By investing time into providing a quality beer range full of choice, the pub in a short space of time has become revered across Britain by many beer lovers.”
The Bridge End Inn was selected from a shortlist of four pubs to win the award, with the other three all based in England.