WHITCHURCH pubs The Black Bear and The Cock and Greyhound have received awards from the Shrewsbury and West Shropshire branch of CAMRA, the independent consumer organisation which promotes real ale. The Black Bear won Market Town Pub of the Year and was runner-up in the overall competition. Landlord Mark Sumner said he was delighted to receive the pub’s first CAMRA awards. “We have been here five years, and got into the Good Beer Guide after our first year, which has to be done on merit which was great, and this is now the icing on the cake,” he said. “Of the six beers we always have on here, we champion four Shropshire/Wales local beers, and two from anywhere in the country, so that there is some variety as well as consistency.” He praised the hard work of staff in ensuring the pub’s beer is top notch.  The Cock and Greyhound, run by AtWill Pubs, was the first recipient of the Bill Bainbridge trophy in recognition of the rescue and refurbishment scheme there. Ed Atkinson, chief executive officer with the A2B Group which owns AtWill Pubs, said: “We’re over the moon to have been awarded the trophy, which is recognition of the vastly improved facilities at the pub. We’re proud of our beautiful pub; a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into restoring this wonderful building that dates back to the 16th century.  Alan Ashurst of CAMRA said: “The Cock & Greyhound has been successful in our awards ceremony this year as worthy of recognition for restoration of an otherwise dormant facility.”