A PUB that has won national recognition for its promotion of real ale is again the toast of local beer enthusiasts.

The Beamish Mary Inn at No Place, near Stanley, was voted pub of the year by the County Durham branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

Previous owner John Taylor turned the pub, which used to be called the Red Robin, into a mecca for discerning drinkers, creating atmosphere by furnishing it with artefacts from the area's mining past. In 1994 the pub won Camra's national pub of the year title and in 1999 it won the County Durham branch's title. Current landlord Graham Ford is delighted.

"We won it for the quality of the beer, the atmosphere and the character of the pub. Oh, and my personality too,'' he said. "No. The award is for everybody, not just me."