Manager Declan McKevitt was delighted to earn a place in the final six for the competition.

He said: “It feels great to know that so many beloved customers think so highly of us and that mine and my staffs hard work has paid off.

“We would like to thank all customers who have voted for us, many of whom we consider to be as much a part of the Coal Yard family as we are.

“Our beer garden has been called one of, if not the best beer garden in Burnley being a perfect sun trap. I’ve had many customers tell me that the great atmosphere in the Coal Yard when football is on TV is only comparable to being on the match itself.”

Declan told us how the Coal Yard opened with its current name in 2018 when it was taken over from what used to be BB11/Town.

The 25-year-old used to be the assistant manager at Bees Knees in Blackburn before becoming manager at this site.

He said: “Myself and my staff team have worked hard to make all customers daytime and nighttime feel like family to us and we love that so many come to see us on any day or night of the week. We are especially proud to have built up an already great quiz and introduced Friday night karaoke which has become extremely popular.

“The Coal Yard is the best place for live sport in town we have 17 amazing HD screens probably the most screens in any pub in Burnley!”

Declan also spoke about the biggest changes at the pub since he took over.

He said: “We have improved our sports offering to be the best in town and introduced a popular cocktail menu. I recruited a brilliant team all of whom go out of their way to proved the best service to each customer and even stride to care for our elderly regulars when not working. We have spent £200k refitting the venue from it being a tired, outdated pub into a venue that customers fully appreciate and respect and now even love.”

Declan has high hopes of developing the Coal Yard even more.

He said: “I intend to carry on improving Saturday nights and we will soon be introducing a new cocktail menu

“My team are incredibly dedicated to the venue and all the customers they love to be busy on shift cleaning in between serving and keeping the highest standards in the venue, and they are all incredibly friendly and welcoming providing some of the best service in Burnley.

“The thing I love most about the Coal Yard is quiz nights each one brings new faces and its definitely the most fun shift to work.

“The best thing about being at the Coal yard is the amazing team I work with and getting to provide so many brilliant experiences for many beloved customers. “

Declan admits that being crowned Pub of the Year would ‘mean a great deal to both me and my team as it will show how much love we have received from the community and that all the hard work we put in has received great appreciation.’.