Winners of the Bridport and Lyme Regis News' Pub of the Year have spoken of their delight.

The Ropemakers in West Street, Bridport is the best pub in the area, as voted for by our readers.

The competition tallies votes from the public to decide a shortlist, which is then voted on again to decide the winner.

The Ropemakers dates back to the 1770s when it was opened as The Sun Hotel, but changed its name in 1989 as a reference to the town's rope making tradition, which continues today.

John and Geraldine Baker have been at the helm for the past 15 years.

Geraldine said: "We are absolutely delighted to win the award. There is nowhere else quite like the Ropemakers. We have good music and food, and we are particularly proud of the staff.

"Thank you to everyone who voted for us, we had some good competition from some excellent pubs in the town, and we are immensely proud to win."

The pub is tied to Palmers Brewery, and source its drinks as locally as possible. In fact the landlords say that most of their suppliers are within walking distance of the pub.

Every Friday they hold a charity meat draw and earlier this year they gave £2,000 to The Living Tree charity, as well as regularly raise money for Parkinson's UK.

They also hosts regular community events and quiz nights, with a large number of live music events.

Geraldine added: "I think we are a space the community like to use for their events like auctions and raffles. People like to celebrate various things here.

"I really like that we were voted for by people who were actually in the pub, to have our locals and regulars vote for us is a great feeling."

The pub currently employs 23 staff, and recently finished redecorating, which included repainting, changing the signage and new lighting.

The Ropemakers is a traditional style pub, decorated with a large amount of memorabilia and ropes accumulated over the years. It was the West Dorset CAMRA Real Ale Pub of the Year for 2022.