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"The Old Spot Inn is a great example of how successful a well-run community pub can be."

Our Old Spot is CAMRA's National Pub of the Year 2007
Well, what can I say, not a bad result I suppose . . . who am I kidding, its bloody amazing. For those of you that don't know its official the "Old Spot" is now the best pub in the Great Britain, after over twelve months of judging we have emerged as Britain's top pub. Before I go any further, a big thank-you to the team behind bar and kitchen for their hard work and dedication. Its been a long year but well worth it in the end.


Congratulations
And a big hug to Ric and Ellie for giving us this wonderful pub in the first place. Their foresight and years of hard work began back in 1993 when they first bought it as a rundown shell. Despite many awards along the way, the big one has eluded us so far, but fifteen years later . . .

And in case you're wondering about Jack wearing his rosette - he has been officially crowned "Natioal Pub Dog of the Year" - It's true, its on CAMRA's website!


And to the locals . . .
Congratulations and thanks to all our regulars who have helped to make this such a special place that is so warm and inviting to all who step foot through the hallowed door of The Old Spot.


Celebrations
Just emerged from our weekend celebrations - as some of you will know it was absolutely manic. Great seeing old faces and new coming together over a few pints (and more) of beer. On that note thanks to Chas and the guys for all their support and the kind donation of Ken's special brew "Old Spot Inn Prize Ale" for this very auspicious occasion - it went down rather too quickly!


Press Coverage
If you want to catch up with the headlines, radio, television, papers and blogs go to the website and follow the link [or type into your browser: news.oldspotinn.co.uk]. That of course is if I have them - if I've missed some (and I'm sure I've missed a few), lets have them (or email me) & I'll add them in. [Stu]

We now have an archive of 60 plus news articles online, dating back to when Ric and Ellie first bought the Old Spot in Feb 1993. If you have an hour or two to spare one night, its well worth a look at the above address. And a big thanks to Ric and El for trusting me with their scrap book! [Stu]


A Plea . . .
Has anybody got any old newspaper articles etc relating to the Old Spot to add to our collection? Please lets have them - you can have them back in the same condition as you give them to me in.

New 'Session' Beer - a Regular?
If you're reading this at the bar why don't you get a little taster of Severn Ales' new brew . . . "Session". Steve McDonald has worked long and hard to come up with a beer with a low gravity that still maintains its complex flavour. The idea being that at 3.4% we can keep a full time session ale on at the bar. It was launched on Tuesday 19th Feb.


Eleventh Heaven
Our eleventh hand pump was installed on Wed 13th Feb - they all seem to be getting a fair amount of use at the moment - long may it continue.


New Guys behind the Bar
The new guys behind the bar are Donna and Jordan. We welcome to them both to the team.

Donna, our brand new straight talking barmaid can also be found working with local scouts and has just finished her first aid training which for some reason means that she sings about elephants?!!

And look out Johnny Wilkinson, Jordan is after your job. When not behind the bar (or out drinking in Stroud), Jordan is a very keen rugby player and a well known face at Dursley RFU. If you want a laugh, listen to Jordan's girly giggle as he was voted worst laugh in Rednock Sixth Form.

They have both fitted in really well, but remember they're new so play nice.


Keeping us Sober
A big round of applause for Tom Parkinson for passing his Responsible Alcohol Retailing exam.

Apologies . . .
Limited Menu - please call to confirm availability
Both Belinda and I are feeling really guilty about the limited food menu on offer and the limited food times available due to all the building work and the awards with all that goes with them! I know a lot of you have been trying to book tables over the last couple of months but the there is light at the tunnel . . . from the 10th March all things return to normal (what ever that is). Steve


Food Service Times . . . (from 10th March)

Fri, Sat, Sun:	12.00 pm - 3.00 pm
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur:	12.00 pm - 8.00 pm
Our normal Opening Hours remain as ...
Monday - Saturday:	11.00 am - 11.00 pm
Sunday:	12.00 pm - 11.00 pm

Meals are Coming Up   
Don't forget Mother's Day meal on the 2nd March - The menus are available from the bar or the website. (Sorry, this is now fully booked)

The Festival of Fish on Good Friday is one not to be missed. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

And then we have Easter Sunday Lunch - have you booked yet?

The Loos - Relief at last!
At last the loo's are finished. We hope you are suitably impressed and thank you for being so patient for the past four weeks, I know wasn't ideal over the road but really did appreciate your understanding. The official loo opening will take place early April . . . just another excuse for a Sunday afternoon party really - watch this space.

A letter to the editor:

Locals Classifieds
As many of you will be aware, over the last few months I have been compiling a directory of business etc run by regulars at the Old Spot.

How many times have you wanted a plumber for example - didn't know one, and had to look through the Yellow Pages to choose someone who you don't know. You've no idea how good their work is or how reliable they are?

Wouldn't it be better to pick from a pool of people you probably already know?

There are so many of us who frequent The Old Spot that have professional skills, run their own businesses, or practice a trade. You may know the person, but do you know what they do for a living?

Well, I now have over 65 entries on there now, all regulars in the Spot, so now is as good a time as any to launch it. Go to: ads.oldspotinn.co.uk for the classifieds index and a full explanation on how it works. Also, if you'd like to be included come and see me (Stu the Brew) and we can discuss it. Most people are honest, but please be sure to read the disclaimer before you enter into any business arrangement.


Open Forum
We have a new better forum on the site now for you to have your say on a variety of topics - and you can open your own. Its very easy to use, so please have a go. forum.oldspotinn.co.uk [Stu]


Carbon Neutral - still ongoing
Look out next month for a follow-up report (time permitting) on our Carbon Neutral Beerfest.

Comments and discussions are still welcome - maybe on the forum? forum.oldspotinn.co.uk

Forthcoming Events

March
:: Sunday 2nd	Mother's Day
:: Monday 10th	The meals are back to normal
:: Wednesday 12th	Batemans - Meet the Brewer
:: Friday 22nd	Good Friday - Festival of Fish
:: Sunday 24th	Easter Sunday
April
:: Thur 23 - Sun 27	St George's Beer Festival - A Right Royal Affair
:: Saturday 26th	Wye Valley Brewery Trip
:: TBA	Paintballing - Old Spot versus the World. Names behind the bar please if you're interested

Word Search for Beer
The winner of February's Wordsearch competition was "John the Post". Congratulations, you have won a gallon of beer of your choice. For those of you who were a bit stuck, the solution is on last month's newsletter.

Below is our second Wordsearch competition. This month's theme is Local Pub Names. We're not telling you what you have to look for or even how many there are to find, but the person who returns the correct completed puzzle will receive a gallon of beer as a prize. The winner will be published on the board. If there is more than one correct entry, the winner will be picked out of a hat.

See how many you can find. . . the words may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal, forwards or backwards! All the pubs are in the Gloucestershire & Bristol area.

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Click to See WordlistHave Fun

Did you enjou this? See some more here . . .

Closing Date: Sun, 23rd Mar 2008.

This is a hard one - there's a lot of them!

Good Luck,

Cheers!
Steve Herbert
March 2008THE OLD SPOT INN
E: T: 01453 542870

To Recap ...
A Warm & Inviting Atmosphere
We're the best Pub in the UK, and therefore the World! Congratulations to all our locals who have helped to make this such a special place.

Some Addresses for your favourites
NOTE: If you're using Internet Explorer, you can click the icon below to add them to your favourites, or click the link to go to the page.

	www.oldspotinn.co.uk	Main site
	news.oldspotinn.co.uk	Newsletters and Newspaper Articles Index
	ads.oldspotinn.co.uk	Your 'Old Spot Inn' Locals Classifieds
	forum.oldspotinn.co.uk	An online discussion forum for your after hours chat

Don't forget to check out the What's On page for more stuff.

For the Newsletter Achive including PDF downloads, go to:
news.oldspotinn.co.uk

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