A LANDLADY is bursting with pride after her pub was shortlisted for a prestigious national award for its contribution to the community.

The Mug House, Claines, has made it to the final of the Rural Pub of the Year category in the NFU Countryside Awards.

The popular pub in the grounds of Claines Parish Church, thought to be the only British pub in a churchyard, hosts local events such as morris dancing, dog shows and auctions, as well as raising money for charity.

Landlady Judith Allen also has about 30 Sunday school children in the pub each week, because they can not all fit into the church for their lessons.

"I'm very proud of The Mug House and its rich history, and I believe if you are going to do something you should do it properly," she said. "I can't tell you how it makes me feel to have my pub recognised in a prestigious national competition.

"We have been successful in previous competitions and I'm really proud to have done so well in this one. I really think we can win it and it would be tremendous as the pub is very much the heart of the community."

The Mug House, which is said to be haunted, has won numerous recent awards, including Worcester in Bloom, in both of the past two years, and the Green Apple Environmental Golden Jubilee Award.

The pub, which employs 10 people, will find out whether it has claimed the top prize at a gala lunch in London, on Wednesday, July 23.

"The NFU Countryside Awards are designed to recognise the many individuals and groups who make a major contribution towards, and are crucial to the vitality of, our rural communities," said NFU Countryside chief executive Ian Dalzell.

"Competition in what is the second year of our awards has been very stiff, and The Mug House has done extremely well to reach the short-listing stage. I'm sure the whole area will be wishing it the very best of luck for the final."

The pub's darts team has also hit the headlines in the past, but for the wrong reasons - it didn't win a match in the Upton Snodsbury League for nine years.