THE George in Alton has been named Pub of the Year by the East Hampshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

Pub of the Year is a national competition whereby pubs are chosen by CAMRA members for local, regional and national level recognition. The George now goes forward to the regional competition which covers the Wessex region, including Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, and the Channel Islands.

The award was received by co-licensee Suzannah Stredder and her staff on March 23.

Pubs in the Alton area have scored well in this year’s competition, with The Golden Pheasant at Lower Farringdon named runner-up. Run by licensees David and Melanie Scholes, the pub was last year’s winner, and a runner up in the 2016 regional competition.

In addition, CAMRA East Hampshire presents an annual award for the pub deemed by its members to have improved the most over previous years. This year the award went to The Ivy House in Alton, where members reported improvements in beer quality, bar service, and the range of beers available.