Pub wins best newcomer award for its first year

A pub has been named as the best newcomer in its area by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), a year after reopening.

The Unicorn Inn in Ludlow welcomed customers again in May 2025 following refurbishment, after being closed for three years, co-licensee Neil Ainsworth, 65, said.

The 2025/26 Camra honour for Shrewsbury and west Shropshire was a "recognition of the team's effort", he added.

Ainsworth said he and co-licensee and partner Natasha Wood, 36, were delighted and joked: "Let's go for the pub of the year next time".

His latest accolade has emerged after he reached the milestone of 35 years in the licensed trade in various capacities.

A year ago, he won the pub of the year award for south Staffordshire as the licensee at a site in Chasetown.

"It's a lot to do with ales and looking after beer and quality assurance and actually getting the word out there to customers to come along and try our products.

"It's about the pub experience... [and] the product, how we store the product in the cellar and how we care for the products."

Brewery Black Country Ales [BCA] bought the pub on Corve Street and the company "went about a sympathetic refurbishment", with Ainsworth coming in towards the end of that, he said.

"To bring back a closed historic pub of significance, that's what they [BCA] do.

"They refurbished it and retained a lot of the original features of the pub, like the beams and fireplaces. There's [also] wood panelling in the pub, which is very historic."

Ainsworth said it was a great award to win, given pressures on the industry at the moment.

"Our margins are tight, everybody knows about the increases in business rates.

"Let's just focus on the positives and the pub experience has to be, in my mind, a positive one for our customers.

"Putting all those things aside, if people use pubs, [that's] great."

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