A PUB which was taken over and refurbished a little more than a year ago has become the first in the town to receive a special award for the quality of its beer.

The Sunnyhurst pub, in Tockholes Road, Darwen, has been given Cask Marque status, an industry-recogn-ised accreditation which assesses craft ales.

The Thwaites-owned pub was taken over by four couples from the same family, and is run by manager Katie Pilling, 27, who grew up in the area.

Pubs joining the Cask Marque sch-eme are visited unannounced by an independent assessor twice a year.

The assessor checks all cask ales on sale for temperature, appearance, aroma, and taste.

Miss Pilling said: “To be the only pub in the Darwen area to achieve Cask Marque status is a great honour and testament to how hard we have work- ed to ensure first-class quality ale since taking over a year ago.

“Our top-selling ale is Wainwright, which is a huge hit with both walk-ers and regulars.

“We take great pride in the quality of our cask beers and always have Wainwright, Lancaster Bomber and Thwaites Original available on cask, plus one guest.

“Our Cask Marque certificate is proudly displayed in the bar and we have a sign outside the pub.”

Andrew Buchanan, director of pub operations at Thwaites, said: “We are as passionate about the quality, and range, of our cask beers as we have always been.

“To have the only Cask Marque-accredited pub in Darwen is som-ething we are immensely proud of, and important for us as we focus on providing real quality to our cust-omers.

“In a very short space of time, the team at the Sunnyhurst have done a tremendous job in helping to really put the pub on the map, and helped it to get the recognition it deserves.”