The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has awarded the Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton, Lancashire with a Golden Award, marking 50 years of the organisation’s campaigns.

As part of its anniversary celebrations throughout 2021, CAMRA is recognising people, groups of people or businesses that have made a significant contribution to CAMRA’s aims, helping us get to where we are today.

The Swan with Two Necks is an outstanding and recently renovated traditional pub set in a pretty Pendleside village. It is being recognised for being a long-standing CAMRA national award-winning pub, and consistently pouring great pints. The Swan with Two Necks won CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year award in 2014, and is popular with locals and visitors alike.

Owners Steve and Christine Dilworth said: “What a great surprise. We are proud and honoured to be a recipient of the CAMRA 50th Golden Awards. A fantastic achievement for everyone involved at the Swan with Two Necks. This also coincides with Steve’s 50 years working in the trade. Talking to his barrels pays off!”

CAMRA’s Awards Director Gary Timmins said: “I am delighted to be honouring the Swan with Two Necks today with a CAMRA Golden Award. 2021 is our anniversary year, and we want to take this opportunity to celebrate the successes of great British locals as well as CAMRA’s achievements – we wouldn’t have got far without their support!

“This anniversary comes on the heels of an incredibly difficult time for the industry after a year of lockdowns and restrictions. I hope the team behind the Swan with Two Necks and their locals will take this award as appreciation for all the hard work involved in running the pub, over the decades and especially now. Nominations were submitted by our members and consumers, which says a lot about the support and impact they have had.

“Winners have been chosen for their successes in standing the test of time; for being convivial, characterful and community-focused, and of course for consistently pouring great pints. I applaud the Swan with Two Necks for their dedication, for being community stalwarts and campaigning heroes.”

The full successful cohort contains 32 pubs, including five that have appeared in all 48 editions of the Good Beer Guide, the longest standing community-owned pub in the country, and the current Pub of the Year title holder. Nominations for the Golden Awards were made by CAMRA members and locals. Over 240 pubs submitted were whittled down to the list of awardees.

The Golden Awards will be celebrating recipients in three different categories: ‘Pubs’, ‘Pints’, and ‘People’. The winners in the ‘Pints’ and ‘People’ categories will be announced later in the year. Local presentation events are in the process of being arranged, with each pub receiving a certificate of achievement.

CAMRA will be celebrating their 50th anniversary throughout 2021, with a host of activity including a new biography 50 Years of CAMRA, awards for campaigners, pubs and breweries, virtual festivals, and commemorative merchandise. Learn more on our 50th Anniversary page: https://camra.org.uk/50-years/