Don’t let Stevi Ritchie win our ‘best bar’ contest?!

As soon as I heard we were supporting such a competition, I expected some comeback from certain quarters.

But the criticism I have encountered in some pubs - some nominated and others not - has not come from the expected people.

I thought someone out there would be suggesting we should not be encouraging people to drink and I was sure others would round on us suggesting alcohol is the root of all that is wrong in society.

You can, I am sure, realise just how delighted I was that none of the adverse comments about our competition centred on those topics.

In Burnley we had 15 nominations.

And all of them are places I have visited at some point in the last year or so.

And the critcism I have received is that none of them are from Fence, none from Padiham and one of them is a pub supposedly about to close, a remarkable suggestion at this most busy of times for the local pub trade.

In Fence, a couple of Fridays ago, I was harangued by a regular of one of my favoured watering holes clearly disappointed “we” had not nominated his weekend watering hole for the new award.

It is a simple fact we do not control the nominations, that process was clearly down to readers to suggest the name of their favourite pub or bar and send that nomination in.

If no one in Nelson or Fence goes to a pub they think could win, that is not our fault and if we run the competition again next year I will personally give the bloke in Fence a copy of the paper and if that particular pub is not then nominated I will be able to lay the blame firmly on his own beermat.

The final round of voting starts this week.

And if your favourite bar is on the shortlist don’t forget to vote.

Otherwise you could let Stevi Ritchie steal in through the back door and take the title!