A FENLAND pub is The Barracuda Group’s pub of the year for 2011 - and its managers will enjoy a safari holiday in Kenya as a result.

Lee and Marina Oldale will jet off to the Masai Mara after the Griffin, in March, was crowned Pub of the Year at the Barracuda Pub Group’s annual company awards.

Mr Oldale said: “Marina and I were just over the moon with being crowned Pub of the Year.

“We try to exceed our customers’ expectations whenever we can by offering the very best customer service and most importantly creating a warm, welcoming pub environment.

“Since we joined Barracuda over 10 years ago, our plan was to make the pubs that we run a focal part of the community and in the current economic climate, it’s great that we are receiving the full support from our customers and we’re confident that will continue.

“We are never complacent and value our customer’s loyalty and support tremendously.”

It is the third year running that the Griffin has won an award under Mr and Mrs Oldale’s management. In 2009 it was award the Largest Profit Increase Award and in 2010 it won Barracuda’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

The Griffin was bought by Barracuda in 2008 from Martin Ellis. The pub chain gave the Griffin a �1.85million makeover before reopening it in September.

Mark McQuater, chief executive of the Barracuda Pub Group, said: “It was great to celebrate the successes of our team and reward those who make a significant contribution to the business.

“At Barracuda, we have some of the best people in the industry who are committed to growing and maintaining their business and we are continuing to assist them to help them stay ahead of the competition and offer their customers real value for money without compromising on quality.”