2nd July 2009

Falcon soars to new heights with Cask Marque and CAMRA.

Becoming a Cask Marque accredited pub will help us sell more beer says Paula Dimmock, co-tenant at the Falcon, a Hook Norton pub, in Thame Park Road, Thame, Oxfordshire.
Paula and fellow licensee Chrissie Harris are also celebrating being listed in the Campaign for Real Ale’s Good Beer Guide for the second year running.
The Falcon is the only pub in Thame to be listed in the Good Beer Guide and it is the only Hook Norton pub in the town.
Paula and Chrissie have just received their Cask Marque accreditation and Paula is convinced that the Falcon's quality standards have improved because of the work they have had to do to get the award.
Now, the pump clips carry the Cask Marque logo, a certificate hangs proudly by the bar for all the customers to see and the drip mats carry the Cask Marque messages of quality.
“We are proud of what we have done in turning this pub around,” said Paula. “Before Hook Norton bought it three years ago and we took it on, it had a terrible reputation.
“But since then, the bar has been refurbished - it is wonderfully light and airy now. There is now a nice area out the front where people can sit and we are getting people coming in who say, ‘wow, this is the first time in 10 years we have been in this pub, it’s fantastic’.
“I won’t say it has been all plain sailing said Paula, “but our hard work is beginning to pay off.”
Hook Norton Operations Manager Jo Hyde said: “Working with and encouraging Hook Norton tenants to achieve Cask Marque accreditation is an important element of what we as a brewer do.
“The more our tenants understand the importance of quality and how it must run though every aspect of their business, beginning with the beer, the greater their likelihood of success.”
“Earlier this year Hook Norton helped us organise a beer festival, which was a tremendous success,” said Paula.
In addition to their range of Hook Norton beers, Paula and Chrissie were serving 10 real ales from seven other craft beer producers.