Dalton family pub hopes award win can spark 'bright future'

At the start of the month, The Mail launched the 'Best Pub 2024' award with readers subsequently nominating their favourites.

From this, the ten finalists have now been revealed with readers able to vote for their favourite by picking up copies of the newspaper until August 3.

Each of the ten establishments will feature in their own article with a different one being highlighted each day as they vie to earn your support in the campaign.

The Mail's 'Best Pub 2024' award series so far:

• The ten finalists as The Mail looks for best Furness pub | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

• Ulverston pub aims to be named as first winner of new award | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

• Barrow pub wants your vote to be crowned as best in Furness | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

• Award-winning Ulverston pub looks to add new title | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

For the first time in the series we arrive in Dalton at the Golden Ball Inn, one of four nominees to come from the town.

The pub is run by Kayleigh Park and husband Lee, with their five children all playing a part in keeping the Golden Ball rolling on a daily basis.

How often do you visited Tudor Square's Golden Ball Inn? (Image: Google Maps)

Kayleigh said: "I have worked here on and off for 23 years for various employers - I started when I was 15 glass collecting, I was a barmaid at 18, before finally progressing to manager and now finally landlady.

"This pub is a huge part of my life and has been for many years and I’m now very glad to be sharing it with my family and making this very important for us all."

The Golden Ball has made itself known for various types of entertainment including quiz nights, bingo, darts nights, karaoke and the occasional free jukebox.

Will your vote be going to the Golden Ball? (Image: Google Maps)

"I’ve seen many changes through the years from refurbs, landlords, landladies and staff changes, the loss of customers who have been like family in here, to the meeting of new regular customers.

"We persevered through Covid even when I myself had a particularly bad case of it."

For Kayleigh, those struggles and changes have made the eventual results worthwhile, which has left the pub stronger than ever.

"I know I speak for myself, my husband and my children when I say that we feel that all the work that we put in is paying off," she said.

"And we are very much looking forward to the bright future we genuinely believe this pub awaits."