WHEN it comes to ordering doubles the Ross's Arms in Astley knows how to measure up.

For the popular pub in Higher Green Lane has had a successful year after winning the prestigious 'Northern Family Pub of the Year' title from brewers Allied Domeque, only months after winning a 'Pubs in Bloom' competition.

It is a further feather in the cap of licensee Joan Dodd and her husband, Peter, who have been serving up pints and good cheer at the Ross's Arms for the past 10 years.

They will now be travelling to Stratford-upon-Avon next month to take part against three other pubs in the brewery's national finals to find its Pub of the Year.

Peter said: "We are thrilled to have reached the finals, and we are the first pub in the north to have reached this far.

"We put our success down to catering for people of every age. We have had five of six generations of customers coming to the Ross's Arms because they feel they receive a warm welcome here, and we try to cover the whole spectrum of family life for them."

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