West Sussex village pub The Wilkes Head wins 'pub of the year' award

The Wilkes Head in Eastergate, near Chichester, has been named Western Sussex pub of the year by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale).

Trevor Brown, the pub’s manager, said: “It was a surprise really, we won it about three years on the trot from 2012 to 2015. It’s nice to have a bit of recognition for a lot of the hard work that goes into it, especially for the staff.

"The owner is Sonia Scott and her two daughters work her as well so it’s really a family pub.”

A message was poster to the pub’s WhatsApp chat alerting loyal regulars to the good news.

Trevor added: “It’s had a good response. Come and give us a go — we have always got decent beer on. Support your local, we are very much a community pub and we do a lot of charity stuff: a meat raffle every Sunday and quiz nights for charity. Come in and say hello. Everybody’s welcome.”

The team will be presented with a certificate by the CAMRA members on Saturday, March 18.

The Wilkes head will now go onto to compete in the Sussex pub of year, and hopefully on to best in the country.

Last year’s Western Sussex pub of the year was The Hornet Alehouse in The Hornet, Chichester which has seen been taken over by the Little Monster brewery.