The Alma Inn has also seen it all by surviving two world wars, several recessions, and a global pandemic.

Matthew Bond has been running the pub alongside his partner for just under a year.

He said: “We have both been involved with the pub for the past 15-20 years, I started off as bar staff, leading to weekend bar manager and now licensee.

“Hannah and I met here, got engaged here and plan to hold part of our wedding reception here later this year, so as you can probably tell the Alma means a lot to us.

“We want to thank our customers both regulars and people who come in for gigs for getting behind us for this, it really is a testament to the loyal and supportive community that lies at the heart of the Alma.

“Being voted as the one of the top six pubs in Bolton feels fantastic. There are so many great pubs in the Bolton area we are honoured to be included at the top.

“It would mean everything to us to be crowned pub of the year, although we are thrilled to even be included in the top six!”

Matthew has told us a little bit about what the Alma has in store for any new people looking to sample it.

He said: “The Alma is both a community pub and successful alternative live music venue, which we believe sets us out apart from a lot of other pubs in Bolton, though, we work hard to support and collaborate with other venues in Bolton.

“We would ask that if you are a fan of original, local, national and international live music and want to see the alternative culture continue to thrive in Bolton, that you come and make use of our regular and more often than not, completely free live gigs and pop in for a friendly midweek chat, or join our fortnightly Thursday quiz or weekly Wednesday board game nights.

“The pub first started gearing towards alternative music and culture in the 1990s, when Mags and Trev ran the pub, this was successfully expanded on by Bolton and Manchester sound engineer and manager Jim McGranthin, who brought all manner of big name metal and rock bands to our stages and really set us on the map as a live music venue.”

Matthew added that they have lots of unique features.

He said: “We believe our big, sunny beer garden with huge graffiti murals, our extensive jukebox, cheap prices, free live gigs and super friendly, welcoming and very inclusive atmosphere makes us unique and makes us extremely proud.

“We are aiming to be accredited as a ‘Safe gigs got women’ venue along with being LGBTQI+ positive and we are also aiming to have a small refurbishment of the inside and outside ready for a jam packed busy summer season.

“We would be nothing without our customer base, our brilliant promoters but also our wonderful staff, who go above and beyond to keep us running and thriving, we can’t thank them enough for all their help and support.”