WEST Kirby pub The Hilbre has picked up a prestigious industry award for its top quality customer service.

The popular hostelry on South Parade, run by licensee Terri Leahy, has won a Punch Taverns Shine award for the Best Customer Experience category.

The pub was also chosen ahead of three other category winners as regional champion. Terri will now go on to a national final along with 15 other Punch licensees to compete for a £1,000 top prize and a two-week luxury holiday.

She is supported by a team of staff lead by manager David Jones, who began working at the pub as chef when Terri took on a lease at the Punch Taverns-owned pub three years ago.

Last year they led Hilbre to the Shine award for the region's Best Drinks Experience.

She said: "This award is all thanks to the great team of staff we have working here. Winning the award last year was fantastic and this year we've gone one better being named as regional champion.

"We have been told that when the mystery customer came to judge our pub it was a really hectic day, with preparations for a Hallowe'en party and a live football match on TV, but they were impressed by our service despite all the other distractions.

"We always ask customers what they want and listen to their ideas, so the pub caters for their needs and we arrange a good variety of activities."

Terri added: "Initially all our customers were local residents but we have started to get people travelling over from Liverpool to eat here." In fact, The Hilbre has been such a success that Terri has now taken another lease with Punch at The Brown Horse in Neston, South Wirral.

Terri has 20 years' experience in the licensed trade, having started as a trainee pub manager and progressed to various positions with managed pub companies.

The Shine awards is Punch Taverns' annual reward and recognition scheme for licensees. Awards are presented in four categories - Best Food Experience, Drinks Experience, Customer Experience and Community Experience - and more than 1,200 pubs entered this year's competition.

Andy Hodgson, regional operations director for Punch Taverns, said: "Hilbre has done fantastically well to win a Shine award for the second year running and is a very deserving regional champion."