24/09/2026
Last night I had the pleasure of representing the Elephant & Castle at the Great British Pub Awards in Leeds, as a guest of Valiant Pub Company.
A huge thank you to Sam and everyone at Valiant for the invitation and a brilliant evening. Being invited along meant a great deal, and it was lovely to spend time with the team and fellow operators, celebrating the hard work and passion that goes into running pubs across the country.
Hearing the stories behind the finalists was inspiring. The care they put into their pubs, their teams and their communities gave me plenty to think about and lots of enthusiasm for what we can achieve here in Dawley.
Having just celebrated our second anniversary at the Elephant & Castle, it also felt like a good moment to appreciate how far we’ve come. I’m proud of the work Lisa, our team and I have put into the pub, and grateful for the support from Valiant along the way.
To our customers, thank you for being part of it all. From the everyday catch-ups over a pint to the packed party nights and charity events, you’re what makes this place special.
Congratulations to all of last night’s finalists and winners. I’ve come home inspired, proud to represent our pub and ready to keep building on what we’ve started.
Maybe next year we’ll have our own story to put before the judges!
Spencer
