A QUIRKY family-run Bournemouth pub has been named as one of the best in the country in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2020.

The Firkin Shed in Holdenhurst Road, Springbourne was listed in the new publication which features the best pubs to find a great pint in the UK. A former winner of CAMRA’s National Cider Pub Award, the Shed is described as “a quirky, friendly, family-run micropub...decorated with flags, musical instruments, puppets and skulls”.

The bar is designed to look like a shed with ten constantly changing ales and 14 plus ciders sourced from around the country. Beers are served straight from the cellar viewable through the window in the corridor.

The award-winning pub in Springbourne, is run by ex-painter and decorator, Paul Gray and his wife, Lisa. Between them they converted the former Blockbuster video shop.

Now it will compete in the next round of the competition, hoping to be named one of four finalists – and stay in with a chance of becoming the overall winner, to be revealed in February 2020.

The Good Beer Guide, which reviews over 4,500 pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinkers’ guide. Compiled by thousands of independent volunteers, it helps identify significant trends and themes locally and nationally.

Tom Stainer, CAMRA’s chief executive said: “For nearly five decades, the Good Beer Guide has been a comprehensive guide to the UK’s breweries, their ales, and the best outlets to find them in across the country.

“What makes the guide unique is that all the entries are compiled and vetted by a huge volunteer team, based around the country. We work hard to ensure that all areas of the country are covered and, unlike with some competitor titles, inclusion in this book is dependent only on merit, not on payment.

“The Good Beer Guide has always had an important role in acting as a barometer of the beer and pub industry. We believe information gleaned from the Guide is absolutely vital in the drive to save our pubs from closure and campaign for policies that better support pubs, local brewers and their customers.”