20 WILTSHIRE LIFE Awards 2018
What winning an award did for us: The Swan at Enford
Pub of the
Year 2017
It can take years of hard work, dedication
and passion to become a success, whether
in business, sports or the arts, so being
recognised for your endeavours is a wonderful
achievement, and as we discovered when we
spoke to the winners of Pub of the Year 2017,
it can bring many rewards.
The Swan at Enford was praised by the
judges for being community-focused. Last
year, we spoke to landlady Emma Jefferies to
find out what has happened since they won.
Emma said: “What a six months it’s been.
We were the noisiest table at the awards
ceremony; we brought along staff who’d been
with us at the very start of our journey, the
ladies who run the ‘hub in the pub’ café and
good friends who supported us in the very
challenging early days, who had faith in us
even when we doubted ourselves.
We were all ecstatic with the
recognition of our ‘special place’.
“We’re passionate about
community and a pub should be
the beating heart. Since we won,
it’s been positively
thumping. We
knew the award
would change
the volume of
custom but
we have been
determined
that it won’t
change us
and what
we do here.
It’s what won us the Wiltshire Life Pub of the
Year award, after all.
“Winning was the culmination of three
challenging years of bringing a building,
garden and community together. It is a
massive step into the unknown when you
take on a business. All you can do is work
really hard and hope people like what you
do. We love Wiltshire and our village, and
the award proved we were on the right track.
“Winning the award has changed what
people expect of us. We struggled with this to
begin with; people came expecting Michelin-star
food, tablecloths and more, but we
stayed true to who we are and turned people’s
expectations around. It’s given our staff pride
in the place they work and has been a great
benchmark to make sure what we do is never
less than our best.
“Custom has increased hugely and people
have been generous with their comments
and recommending us to friends, and so we
continue to thrive.”
“I would wholeheartedly recommend the
award to anyone who has been committed to
their business, who’s put in a huge amount
of time and energy and love. We continue
to grow, and are now in Sawday’s good pub
guide. We also won Wiltshire Pub of the Year
from trade magazine Pub & Bar.
"Our beer and music festival on August
bank holiday last year was the most popular
ever. We have introduced gin club, which
runs from April to September, and feature
nights for port, whisky, vodka and rum
throughout the winter.”
Custom has increased
hugely and people
have been generous
with their comments
and recommending us
to friends, and so we
continue to thrive