The White Hart in Sabden scoops prize at Ribble Valley Business Awards 2024

The White Hart pub has been awarded the much-coveted accolade of Customer Friendly Business Award  at the recent Ribble Valley Business Awards. 

Nestled within the village of Sabden, the cosy country pub prides itself on its friendly service of fresh, award winning home cooked food, locally sourced from the Ribble Valley. 

The Ribble Valley Business Awards, which are sponsored by Ribble Valley Borough Council, celebrate the businesses that make the Ribble Valley such a wonderful place to live, work and visit. 

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The White Hart became finalists within a hospitality award – Customer Friendly Business, with the judging process only accepting nominations from customers of the business, making the win particularly special. 

 Stephen Howarth and Tom Howarth are the two men at the helm of the business after they had changed careers when they opened during August 2022. 

Stephen was Head of Customer Service and Tom was a Community Care Manager and they are both really enjoying running the pub together. 

Stephen said: “We absolutely love the pub and our customers and have a very loyal following both in the village and beyond. 

“It’s no exaggeration to say that we feel that we have finally found our identity.  

“We are both extremely proud of the food that we serve and we try to offer something for everyone in the entertainment and events that we provide, be it drag queen bingo, weekly yoga classes to themed food nights. 

“We are proudly the hub of village life. Customers have told us we are a lifeline to them, we are the only people they see, they feel safe coming to our pub on their own which they have never done before”.

Upon nomination, Stephen & Tom were invited to submit in more detail as to why the business was deserving of the award. 

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Therefore, the pub let their customers do the talking by highlighting many positive TripAdvisor comments and several were put forward to the judging panel. 

 Justly proud of their win, Stephen and Tom said: “We have an amazing team around us, and we’d like to celebrate our team, in particular Ollie, Evie and Harvey who have been with us from the start. 

“Thank you also to our wonderful customers, without exception everyone is warmly welcomed to The White Hart”.