A beloved local pub that was saved from permanent closure after locals rallied together has scooped the prestigious title of ‘pub of the year’.
A testament to its remarkable turnaround story, The Northumberland Arms Community Pub in Marple Bridge won the accolade for the region of Greater Manchester by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
Affectionately nicknamed ‘The Thumb’ by its regulars, the pub faced closure under its previous ownership by Robinsons Brewery. However, after shutting its doors, a determined group of community members helped to purchase and revive the pub.
In December 2017, it reopened as a community-run establishment, joining the ranks of approximately 50 such pubs nationwide.
Pub manager Phil Jarvis took to social media today to express his elation: “The most AMAZING NEWS. We have only gone and WON Camra Greater Manchester Pub of the Year.”
He highlighted that the competition spanned across Greater Manchester to South Lancashire, including 9 CAMRA boroughs. The manager also noted that the award criteria involved secret judges assessing various aspects of the pub’s offerings.
In his post, Phil continued to detail that CAMRA’s judgement was based on factors such as service, activities, and cleanliness.
Concluding with heartfelt astonishment, he said: “This really is unbelievable tbh for a pub that nearly didn’t exist to this.”
The pub continues to offer shares for sale, inviting the community to invest in the preservation and enhancement of this cherished establishment.
The pub, which has also clinched the title of High Peak CAMRA’s Pub of the Season Winter 2024, is a hive of activity with its quiz nights, street food pop-ups, and live sports screenings, including Euro 2024.
It’s an annual participant in the local CAMRA branch’s ‘Mild Magic’ ale trail and prides itself on offering a ‘well-kept’ selection of cask, keg, and bottled beers.
Phil Jarvis, speaking to the Manchester Evening News, expressed his delight: “It’s just amazing, I never thought this would happen.”
He described the establishment as “a community owned pub with a brilliant atmosphere, I’ve trained the team to be very welcoming and they have a good knowledge of the beers, many of which are from local breweries.”
Phil, who has a history in the pub industry including stints at Marple Conservative Club and The Railway pub in Romiley, highlighted the overwhelming support they’ve received.
He said: “It’s hard work but as a free house we can buy from where we want and we’re visited by people in the community and further away – people have really embraced us.”
Patrons echoed Phil’s enthusiasm, flooding the comments section of his post with congratulations. One customer said: “Congratulations! Feel very lucky to have a great community pub on our doorstep! “.
Another added: “Congratulations to you all! So well deserved and it really is a benchmark pub for the quality of the welcome, the events held there and of course the range of beers and how well they are kept.”
A hopeful comment said: “Here’s to the next awards and maybe ‘world’s greatest pub’.”
One regular patron expressed their delight, stating: “Congrats and well done!!! We started walking over from Romiley a few times a month and love it as it feels like a proper pub!”.
Ralph Warrington, CAMRA’s North West Regional Director, also commented on the award, saying: “All the members of Greater Manchester’s CAMRA branches are delighted that this year’s Pub of the Year is the fantastic Northumberland Arms in Marple Bridge.
“The pub is a huge success story, rising from the ashes of being sold by Robinson’s Brewery of Stockport as “unviable”. The community refused to believe this and rallied round to buy their pub and re-open it in 2017.”
He continued: “The Thumb, as it is fondly known, is an outstanding example of what grass roots campaigning can do. Not willing to accept the closure and de-licensing of what they considered the heart of the community, they took advantage of the “Asset of Community Value” scheme to prevent closure and a conversion to housing.
“With the moratorium imposed by the ACV listing, the denizens of Marple Bridge were able to set up a Community Benefit Society, and be selling shares locally, were able to purchase the pub with its licence intact.”
“After some sympathetic renovation, the Thumb re-opened and has gone from strength to strength. As well as serving four well-kept cask beers, there is an amazing pop-up stall of varying and tempting street food, bringing far flung tastes to tempt the palette, regularly appearing in the car park.
“More importantly though, the pub is home to a variety of local clubs from the sedentary pursuits of darts’n’doms to the more vigorous rambling, running and biking.”
“All this activity, and the fact that most regulars are also shareholders, gives the Thumb a great atmosphere and a unique buzz. It is really friendly and welcoming, and of course, the cask ale is top notch.”
“On behalf of all the Greater Manchester CAMRA members, I offer my heartiest congratulations to both the management team at the Northumberland Arms, and the dedicated local community that stand behind them.”
The Northumberland Arms is located at 64 Compstall Road, Marple Bridge, Stockport.