Regulars, friends and supporters of a South East Cornwall hostelry will be tuning in with baited breath to see if their local has been named Pub of the Year when the winner is announced tomorrow.

Alan and Sarah Collings at the Caradon Inn in Upton Cross are finalists in the Great British Pub Awards – Pub Heroes 2020.

The couple supported their community during the lockdown, turning the pub into a thriving community shop where people could buy everything from a tin of beans to a tub of flowering plants for the garden.

The Collings say they are now determined to keep the pub shop open for as long as it’s supported: they’re already converting the old breakfast room into a permanent base for the shop, and there are plans for a long-term garden nursery on a piece of what is currently waste ground.

Alan and Sarah could not have imagined, when they took on the Caradon Inn, what would lie ahead, but they say the time and hard work is worth it when they see the smiles on people’s faces.

Public voting in the awards has now finished and the awards ceremony is set to be hosted by TV presenter Stephen Mulhern. It can be streamed live from 6pm tomorrow (Thursday 24 Sep) on the Morning Advertiser Facebook page or YouTube channel.