THE Swan Hotel in Bradford on Avon has been nominated for an award in the Greene King Excellence Awards .

It is nominated for the entertainment pub of the year category, in which over 1,000 Greene King pubs were invited to be considered.

Winners will be announced at an annual awards night on March 25 at Whittlebury Hall in Towcester.

Owner, James Sullivan-Tailyour, 59, who lives partly at the hotel and in Bath, said: “I was put forward for it by a person at Greene King. I’m really proud and very humble so we’re pleased we’re being recognised. We do bingo nights, community events, poetry nights and quiz nights so a range of activities.

“We have got a long- running association with the community. We have been around 350 years and back in 1700s we were used for council offices where councillors would share news and snuff.

“It’s very hard for musicians to find places to play. For big iconic bands that’s where they started so if we lose that we lose our heritage in this country. It’s an incredibly rich heritage but I’m not trying to change the world I’m just doing my bit with events for the community.”

The Greene King Pub Partners Night of Excellence will take place, featuring 15 awards including Community Pub of the Year, Sports Pub of the Year, Best Multiple Operator and of course Entertainment Pub of the Year, with an overall winner also set to win the Pub of the Year crown.

Celebrating the launch of the awards, Greene King Pub Partners managing director Wayne Shurvinton said: “Since joining Pub Partners in 2018 I’ve been impressed with the variety of hugely talented operators running our pubs and holding a Night of Excellence is the ideal way to recognise that talent and to reward those who have gone above and beyond to highlight the key role that leased and tenanted pubs play in shaping innovation and adaptability in the wider industry, while also promoting great pubs that sit at the hub of local life.”

The overall award is sponsored by Suffolk brand Aspall cider and the winning publicans will get a trip to Prague for two nights, including flights and accommodation.

Other prizes on the night provided by sponsors include trips to Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Amsterdam and Belgium, all with flights and accommodation included.