Congratulations to the Bird in Hand in Henley, which has been named our branch Pub of the Year for a record sixth time.

The Bird in Hand in Greys Road, which is the only free house in the town centre, received the award from the district branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. Graham and Celia Seward (pictured centre) have been behind the bar since 1993 and have kept it as a wet-led pub.

Graham said: "It was an honour to receive the award again — [considering] no pub is allowed to win it two years in a row. It is nice because there are so many other good businesses around here. It means we are still doing the basics right. To me it demonstrates that we have set ourselves a standard and we are still achieving it."

"We would like to thank our regular customers for their support over all the years. We have had some great times with them. They are more like friends than customers."

Celia said that the couple hoped to remain at the pub for many more years.

Graham Hards, CAMRA Branch Chairman (pictured left), said: "The Bird in Hand is just a great community pub and you get a friendly welcome from the landlord. It is a traditional pub with lots of strengths — you have to have good beer, which is why it has been in our Good Beer Guide for the last 25 years."