The Shropshire community pub that has won a UK award - and where Love Your Local is the motto
As pubs continue to battle the cost of living crisis, the Shropshire Star continues its Love Your Local series which celebrates our local inns.
Manager of community-owned pub, The White Lion, Shaun Embrey, says the Shropshire Star's Love Your Local feature is quite aptly named.
He says it's also his ethos when it comes to pubs, and it is a slogan that is embroidered onto his staff's uniforms, as he declared we should all: "Love Your Local."
Since taking over at the end of February in 2020, just before the Covid lockdown, Shaun has been able to put his own stamp on the pub and redevelop where he felt it was needed.
It is now a very successful community pub, and that has been recognised as it was recently awarded the title of UK Pub of the Year.
The award was won following their success of the pub of the year in the Midlands, but after winning that accolade, they went onto the national scare and The Countryside Alliance - in association with the Daily Telegraph and Howden - announced the award during a reception at the House of Lords.
Speaking about the award win, Shaun said: "Winning the award is a testament to the hard work that has gone on in this place.
"The Midlands success was brilliant but then the national award is incredible.
"It is amazing because first someone has to nominate you, and then you need people to vote and so to have got people to actually take their time out and submit a vote meant a lot to us, and a honour to win."
The success of the award was also used as an occasion to pay tribute to Felix Davies, 19, who tragically died in a collision on Whitchurch Road near to the junction of the A525 on the A530.
Shaun paid tribute to Felix, adding: "I lost one of my best friends and bar supervisor in Felix.
"He was my right-hand man, and he tragically passed away on Easter Sunday.
