The Black Bull in Ribchester had been closed until Iain and Joanne Taylor moved in, in April and since then they have never looked back.

It is not just a passion for serving good pints or meals that sets them apart, it is how they have made the place the heart of the village by organising children’s parties, breakfast on Sunday and even chippy teas on the recommendation of the punters.

Joanne said: “It feels great to be in the running for the Pub of the Year award and it shows what we are doing is right and how the village supports us.

“We opened in April last year as it had been closed since November.

“It had no staff and we took a gamble but it went really well and became part of the community.

“We had a bit of a soft opening for the village and a buffet so they could see what our plans were for the place.

“We are very village focussed and that is one of the reasons we do the chippy tea on a Friday.

“It is a close-knit community, supporting each other and that has been shown to us but we are happy with the Black Bull and feel like they want to come here.”

But after their success Joanne added that they are not finished there and want to continue to offer opportunities in the community.

She said: “You have to change with time and do things different.

“We want to do a Black Bull Idol which would be a talent contest. You have to do new things and one of them is a pool league just in the pub.”

Joanne also praised the efforts of her staff to have a pub which is sitting at the centre of the community.

She said: “All the staff have supported mine and Iain’s ethos by going the extra mile for the people.”

‘Wonderful friendly pub, great landlord and landlady. Home from home’ and ‘Lots going on, great entertainment. Activities for all the family including dogs’, were among the reasons why people voted for them.

Joanne and Ian have been together for 10 years in September while also being married for seven.

They have got six children between them and Joanne added that they have been ‘very supportive’ and even helped out at the pub.

There is another reason why visitors have been coming to the pub.

“I think more people do come in as we are a dog friendly pub. Obviously we don’t have them around where food is being prepared or people are eating.

“We give them dog biscuits and have a water bowl for them. We had Ola our golden retriever dog coming into the pub but she does not come as much as she used to.”