Regular Customers from The Blue Ball, Worrall, in National Pub Awards Final

The finalists in the influential pub industry awards, PubAid's Community Pub Hero Awards, have been announced and two regular guests at The Blue Ball, Worrall, have been shortlisted.

They were nominated by Landlady, Emma Shepherd, in the Community Fundraising Hero category and the entry has seen competition from almost 1000 other pubs nationwide.

This Community Regular Hero award recognises an individual or group of customers who help the pub’s fundraising efforts or its work to support the community.

The pub was shortlisted because regulars, Paul and Bridget Manley, hold Worrall Environmental Group (WEG) meetings there. Through their efforts and dedication, they have raised thousands of pounds and brought the community together. They have spearheaded initiatives to maintain the cleanliness and tidiness of the village, ensuring it remains a place of pride for all residents. Their dedication to planting beautiful flowerbeds, vibrant planters, and sturdy trees has not only enhanced the aesthetics of the community.

Emma Shepherd, landlady of the Blue Ball Inn, said: "For 40 years Paul and Bridget have supported our community through the Worrall Environmental Group (WEG). The WEG meetings are held at the pub every other month, bringing the community together to make Worrall a wonderful place to live. They are at the heart of our community, and support everything we do at the pub too - they also love to join us on a Friday for stone baked Pizzas!"

The winners will be announced at an award ceremony, sponsored by Matthew Clark, at the Houses of Parliament on 5 March and all shortlisted pubs are invited to attend along with industry leaders and MPs.

Des O’Flanagan, co-founder of PubAid, said: “We launched these awards to celebrate the great work that pubs do for their community. The Blue Ball is a perfect example of how pubs support and are a hub for many people in their community. The awards are in their fifth year and the volume of entries this year was staggering. What clearly came across from reading all the entries is that there are so many publicans that are doing amazing work nationwide. It was very hard to get to a shortlist so even getting to the finals is an amazing accolade for The Blue Ball.

PubAid, which organises the awards in association with Matthew Clark and the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group, has refreshed the awards and created more categories to congratulate more community pubs throughout the UK. There are 33 finalists in total across five categories.