AN AWARD for Pub of The Year has been given to a city establishment for the first-time.

The Dragon Inn, on the Tything, has been awarded Worcestershire’s Pub of the Year 2018 by the Campaign for Real Ale.

Katie Elliot, the licensee at the Dragon Inn, took over in September 2015 when Church End Brewery bought the pub.

She said she wanted to breathe fresh air into the pub while maintaining the long tradition of serving quality real ales and one of her first changes was to introduce indoor toilets to the pub for the first time.

She said: “Receiving this award is the icing on the cake. I came here from a country pub with lots of space around it, so very different to the Dragon.

"I wanted to make several changes to the pub, such as relocating the toilets inside, but I didn’t want to lose the pub's character, which happens a lot when big chains take over and refurb pubs.

“Initially, I didn’t have any plans for the beer garden, but I was surprised at how much use our customers made of it, so decided to make it more welcoming and increase the amount of seating. We are extremely thrilled to have received this recognition by CAMRA.”

Bill Ottaway, Worcester CAMRA branch press officer, said: “This is the first time a Worcester pub has received this award. It’s a fantastic achievement and recognises the hard work Katie, and her team, have invested in keeping this traditional city pub alive, expanding the pub, attracting new clientele and offering several quality ales. In this day and age, it’s really pleasing to see a vibrant and bustling pub.”

In January 2017, the pub was closed for a major refurbishment and stripped right back to bare bricks. The ceilings were taken down and the bar was taken out.

The CAMRA Pub of the Year awards recognise all the criteria that make a great pub, including atmosphere, decor, customer service, value for money, clientele mix and the quality of the real ale.