Hook Norton licensees on awards shortlist

February 3, 2010: Two Hook Norton licensees have been recognised as among the best in the country. John and Trisha Bellinger, of The Bell, at Adderbury, near Banbury, have been nominated for two major awards by trade magazine The Publican. The pair are finalists for tenanted pub of the year, and John is a finalist in the publican of the year category.

	l John and Traisha Bellinger

Publican editor, Caroline Nodder, said: "The Publican Awards reward and celebrate the great people, ideas and initiatives which makes a pub business stand out from the crowd.

“There are some truly great pubs and pub companies which are leading the way not only for our sector but for British retail as a whole, and far from being downheartened by the financial climate these operators have risen to the challenge and are giving their customers their best ever pub experience.”

John Bellinger said: “It's a wonderful accolade to have been named as finalists in not one, but two, categories of these prestigious national awards. Trisha and I work very hard to provide our customers with the very best possible food, drink and accommodation when they visit the Bell, and our small but loyal team of staff deliver a quality service that is continually gaining us the kind of recognition that puts us at the forefront of pubs in the area.”

Hook Norton managing director, James Clarke, said: “This is fantastic news. John and Trisha are to be congratulated for their hard work, commitment and professionalism. They richly deserve being named as finalists in these prestigious awards.

The winners will be announced in April.