LAST week the Worcester News launched the Pub of the Year award to find the city's favourite watering hole – and the historic Cardinal’s Hat is already in the running for the prize.

Our Pub of the Year contest sees readers voting for their favourite establishment in the city, with the winning landlord receiving a trophy and being invited to Parliament by Worcester MP Robin Walker.

Votes have already started flowing in for the award, and The Cardinal's Hat has been popular.

The Friar Street pub, which dates back to the 14th century and is thought to be Worcester’s oldest, has history enthusiast Nigel Smith as its licensee.

The pub is known for its warmth and atmosphere and for that history – which includes the story of it being haunted by the ghost of a young girl who is said to drift about on the second floor.

The pub is also known in recent years for a successful appearance on Channel 4 show Four in a Bed, coming second in the contest where owners of bed-and-breakfasts judge each other's establishment.

Mr Smith said he was delighted the pub had been nominated for the Pub of the Year award and was hoping for a win in an already successful year for the Cardinal's Hat, after being listed in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.

Mr Smith said: “We would encourage people to keep voting for us.

“We reopened the Cardinal’s Hat five years ago, with the rooms, and the bar has been a real success for us.

“We look to offer the best in tradition and history, alongside innovation in products, and good customer service – and pass on the knowledge and enthusiasm for what we do.”

For more on the pub visit the-cardinals-hat.co.uk.

Voting for the Pub of the Year award is open now and closes on Friday, November 30, so use the slip on this page to support your favourite pub and tell us why it deserves to win.

Anyone can vote, whether a member of staff or a loyal customer, but we only accept slips cut out from the newspaper as votes - to avoid any ‘tactics’.

The voting slip will be published each week, with pub profiles as people nominate their favourite watering holes. The winner will be announced in the paper and on our website on Tuesday, December 4.

Worcester News editor Michael Purton said: “We came up with the Pub of the Year award because there are some brilliant pubs in the area and we want to highlight their hard work and high standards.”

If you’d like your favourite pub to be one the establishments featured in the coming weeks, in the newspaper and online, email michael.purton@newsquest.co.uk.