A Chesterfield pub has been nominated for a prestigious national award to recognise its value to the local community.

Toby Perkins MP came up with the idea for the ‘Parliamentary Pub of the Year’ as part of his role as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Pub Group. The award was launched in July and gives 650

Toby with landlady, Emma Clarke
MPs the opportunity to nominate a pub from their constituency.

The award focuses on celebrating the important role pubs play in British life and promoting their value to the local economy and communities. The main criteria for nomination is a pub that is great at what they do, this can include the range of beer or food provided, the dedication to serving the local Community or a specialism in Music or Sports.

Toby Perkins said “Pubs are crucial to our communities as well as to our economy. Britain’s pubs employ over 1 million people and pay around £9 billion in taxes. It is so important that we support our much loved locals.

As the architect of this competition, I am one of the judges but wanted to nominate a local pub myself. It is so difficult to pick one pub, because I think Chesterfield is well served with great pubs and we have a cvery lively real ale scene here.

However, Chesterfield Arms boasts a great array of local ales, has a wide variety of specialist products (over 25 gins for example) and has always had a lively atmosphere when I have visited, so it has received my nomination to recognise the positive role it plays in Chesterfield.”

The 650 MP entrants will be whittled down to ten finalists, who will be invited down to the House of Commons later this year to see which pub will be crowned the Parliamentary Pub of the Year.

Emma Clarke, landlady of the Chesterfield Arms said, “We are really delighted to be nominated. We are proud of the pub and our regulars and always attempt to be welcoming for newcomers. It is great to hear that Toby has always enjoyed his visits, and we will keep our fingers crossed that the judges like what we have to offer too.”

Toby added, “We have had a great response from MPs across the UK and it is creating a real buzz in the pub industry. I hope the awards will become an annual fixture in the parliamentary calendar and help promote the importance of our pubs for years to come.”