AN award winning pub in Ilkley is celebrating three industry accolades, ahead of its annual charity beer festival, which takes place on the weekend of November 8-10.

The Flying Duck Brewpub, which incorporates sister company Wharfedale Brewery within its grounds on Church Street, has made it into the 52nd edition of the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide – the UK’s best-selling beer and pub guide, for the tenth year in a row and is the only pub in the whole of the LS29 Ilkley district to be included.

This comes on the back of being awarded top scores from “Cask Marque”, a national independent accreditation scheme that assesses the quality of cask ale (real ale), with pub beers being tested on their temperature, aroma, appearance and taste, and the maximum five star food hygiene rating following a recent visit from Bradford Council’s Food Standards Agency inspectors.

Operations Director Gerard Simpson, pictured (right) with management duo, Kyle Hamilton and Lizzie Elkington, said: “We are delighted that we have gained such prestigious recognition for the quality of our beer, our food and our business as a whole. We have a brilliant, dedicated and hard working team, a fabulous customer base from far and wide and despite the ongoing economic challenges, we absolutely love what we do, in a happy environment where everyone is welcome.”

On the weekend of November 8-10 the popular venue hosts its annual beer and blues festival, showcasing over 30 cask ales, craft beers, ciders and lagers from more than 20 breweries from both sides of the Pennines. There will also be live music from ten local bands on Friday and Saturday, finishing off with free brewery tours and rock ‘n’ roll bingo on Sunday afternoon.

This year the beneficiaries will be junior football clubs throughout the LS29 postcode area; (Addingham, Burley, Ilkley and Menston), with the Flying Duck donating 10 pence per pint sold throughout the festival.

Mr Simpson added: “We hope people from the local area and further afield will pop in to the Duck, enjoy a few pints that they have perhaps not tried before, enjoy the acoustic sets we are putting on, whilst also helping us raise funds for our local football clubs which, who knows, may unearth the next Jude Bellingham! How good would that be?”

Opening times for the event are noon until 11pm on the Friday and Saturday and until 8pm on Sunday, with street food served from noon each day.