Historic Burnley pub and creative café beat hundreds to scoop Daniel Thwaites Brewery Hospitality Award in the North of England

The Swan Inn together with The Shift Café located above the pub in St James’ Street beat hundreds of venues in the annual Daniel Thwaites Brewery Hospitality Awards to be crowned Community Hero 2023 in the North of England for the third year in a row for their work done in the town centre.

And the celebrations kept coming as the pub also added the North’s Warmest Hospitality Award to its certificate collection for the first time. The pair will now go forwards to the grand national finals later in the year.

Craig Smith, the Swan Inn manager, said: “It is great to win this area award for the third time in a row and also to win the Warmest Welcome Award for the first time, and I am looking forward to enjoying another great finalists’ awards evening in November hosted by Daniel Thwaites. I would like to thank them for their continued support and not forgetting all our amazing and loyal customers at The Swan!”

The pub, along with The Shift Café, is now in the running to be named the overall national champion in their respective categories in a glittering ceremony in the Lake District. The winners will be picked based off interviews and mystery shoppers’ experiences, landing both a trophy and a trip away with the other national champions.

The two businesses reigned supreme in the national Community Hero category a few years ago and were rewarded with a trip to Rome.