THE new year could bring a huge cash windfall for a family running one of the prettiest pubs in South Cheshire.
Ashley and Chloe Wimpenny of The Thatch at Faddiley are through to the finals of a contest offering free rent for a year or the equivalent in cash to the pub with the best beer.
The couple, who own the pub with Chloe's parents, Tony and Jan Wrench, will be up against seven other pubs in the national final in June.
Jan said: 'As a freehouse our prize would be the cash equivalent of rent for a year, something in the region of £100,000, so we are thrilled to be through to the finals.
'We could pay off a slice of mortgage or invest in the building, perhaps pursuing our planning permission for bedrooms.'
Brewer Marstons launched the award scheme to help landlords improve beer quality by offering cellar training and pub improvement prizes.
The family will benefit from additional training in beer and cellar management, as well as improvements to the timber-framed local.
Marstons' managing director, Alistair Darby, said: 'As a brewer we recognise that the quality of beer can sometimes be thwarted by poor cellarmanship at pub level.
'We believe that beer quality lies at the heart of a great pub and campaigns like this provide us with an innovative way to get our message across and drive standards up.'
Ashley, 31, and Chloe, 32, both did an HND in hotel and catering management at 16 and met while working on the Isle of Man.
After climbing the management ranks with Mansfield Brewery, they decided to team up with experienced licensees Tony and Jan to buy the 500-year-old Thatch two years ago.
