IT’S the moment you have all been waiting for, finding out who you voted for to be named ‘Bolton News Pub of the Year 2021’.

The pub industry is just one of many trades that have suffered during the pandemic and we decided to put the spotlight on some local venues in our Pub of the Week feature.

Just before Christmas we decided to put it to the vote to find out which one deserved to win the crown.

READ: BOLTON NEWS PUB OF THE YEAR: Which pubs are in the top 10?

And we can reveal that with over a quarter of the votes cast that the most popular place was the Duke William in Ainsworth.

Meanwhile also impressing were the Cross Guns in Egerton and the Elephant and Castle in Bolton.

We had also asked our readers for reasons why they thought their chosen venue should win.

It is a ‘charming old traditional pub’ and having a ‘quaint setting with lovely staff’ and a ‘lovely atmosphere with home-cooked food and good service’ were among the words of praise for the Duke William’s success.

READ - Which one of these venues should be Pub of the Year?

We spoke to Diane Dobson from the pub and she was overjoyed about the news.

She said: “We have tried to make it a cosy place to come. It is an old building and we cannot really do much with it but have done some things about the tables and interior.

“People can bring their dogs in if they have been for a walk and we give them some biscuits.

“We don’t do anything pretentious with the food, it is just good food that people enjoy. We do make subtle changes but I think we would be thrown out of the village if we got rid of our cheese and onion pies.”

Diane added that the award was a great reward after the pandemic and they had invested a lot on their outside areas and refurbishing the pub.

But it would not have been possible without the votes of their regulars.

She said: “We just want to say thanks to everyone who voted for us and it shows we are doing things right when they vote for us.”

Meanwhile, Jon Peek from one of the oldest pubs in Bolton at The Cross Guns was delighted with the runners-up spot.

He said: “It is an amazing achievement when you think we have only been open six months and shows people like what we have done.

“We are in the heart of the village and to have that amount of following is great for us.”

Elsewhere, Steve Coyle from the Elephant and Castle said it was ‘nice to be recognised as one of the best pubs in Bolton’

He added: “We are in a very large proud building and has become a high street institution and a British pub with great cask ale and loyal customers.”