ONE of the North-East's finest real ale pubs, which was under threat six months ago, has bounced back by winning an award.

The Quaker bar in Darlington's Mechanics Yard, run by Steve Metcalfe and Lynda Harland, was due to shut in October last year, when owners, the Tadcaster Pub Company, decided it was no longer viable.

But Darlington's Campaign for Real Ale group reacted to the proposed closure with fury, after it had voted it pub of the year in the town for three out of four years.

And now the customer has been proved right as the bar has won the local Camra Pub of the Year title again.

Mr Metcalfe said: "Since October, the company has given us more of a free reign and things are going much, much better, both in the pub and the caf upstairs.

"We've now got a wider range of real ales, we have ten now, instead of the six we had then, including our own real lager, all from small independent breweries.

"We're over the moon with the award and it's proved we were right. The pub is going from strength to strength."

The couple, and their customers, plan to celebrate the Camra award and their second anniversary at the pub, on May 30, with a real ale festival and party.