Royal Dyche nominated for Great British Pub Award

The Royal Dyche has been shortlisted in the Best Pub to Watch Sport category at the prestigious national awards.

The popular Yorkshire Street boozer will be going up against pubs from London, Kent, Lincolnshire and Leeds, with the winner announced at Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, in September.

Owner Justine Bedford said it was hard to believe that her “little pub in Burnley” would be mixing with so many big chains.

"It’s really nice to be recognised on this scale. I’ve had a nosy at some of the pubs we’re up against, and it’s incredible that we’re being mentioned alongside such big names. What we’ve got though is that community spirit. We may only be a small free house, but that’s what makes us special – being at the heart of the community. It’s not just about watching sport, it’s about coming here and meeting new people, socialising, having a safe space.”

This weekend will see the Royal Dyche host its fifth annual PrinFest.

The two-day free event, which will once again be raising money for Pendleside Hospice, will showcase a total of 38 bands and DJs across the Saturday and Sunday.

The Switch, Supernova, Spacebats, The Vibe, Billy Hawthorn, Roadkill Revival, Billy and The Biscuit Brothers, and Natalie George are just some of the acts lined up to play.

Justine said: “It just gets bigger and better every year. I started it because we kept hearing about how there was nothing going on in town, so I thought let’s just do something ourselves. I put a few different community events on that year, and this was the most successful. It’s one of the busiest weekends we have, just as busy as Burnley home games. That means a lot because it shows we’ve built something that’s not just reliant upon matchday trade.

"We’re hoping to raise £2,000 for Pendleside. The first year we raised money for them we managed £1,000, and then last year it was £1,600. Hopefully, we can go that little bit further again.”

Both days start at 11am, and food will be provided by Ron’s Pizza on Saturday, and Serranos on Sunday. There will also be an after-party at Mojitos on the Saturday night.