Aylesbury Vale & Wycombe

The branch presented a special certificate to the licensees of the Wheel, Naphill, Mark and Claire Christian. This marked their twentieth anniversary of taking over the pub in the summer of 2006.

Branch deputy chair, Elvis Evans, presented the certificate to Mark and Claire at the pub’s “Ronfest” on 11th July. Ronfest is a music and beer festival that is held for charity annually at the pub in memory of local resident and pub regular Ron Williams, who passed away in 2021.

Mike Clarke, branch chair said, “We recently held a branch meeting at the Wheel and when we heard it was Mark and Claire’s twentieth anniversary at the pub then we immediately decided it should be honoured with a certificate. The Wheel is hugely popular with local real ale drinkers and can always be relied upon to serve a well-kept pint.”

When Mark and Claire took over the pub in 2006, it had seen better days but they rapidly transformed it into a real-ale destination. It has been a regular fixture in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide for almost the whole time Mark and Claire have run the pub. It is also a hub of the local community in Naphill and, being close to countryside in the Chilterns National Landscape, is popular with walkers.

The branch has made a presentation to its 2026 Pub of the Year Runner Up, the King's Head in Aylesbury. The award was voted for by local branch members in an online poll with a close finish between five shortlisted pubs.

The historic King’s Head, just off the Market Square in Aylesbury, is the brewery tap for Chiltern Brewery in Terrick. And, appropriately, the presentation of the certificate was made by Chiltern Brewery liaison officer, Giles du Boulay.

Presenting the certificate to George and Anett Jenkinson, Giles noted the fierce competition for the accolade of Pub of the Year in the local area and the King’s Head’s enduring success in the competition. The branch contains well over two hundred pubs within its boundaries.

Chair Mike Clarke said, "The King’s Head is known and loved among local CAMRA members for the consistently outstanding quality of its cask ales, both those brewed a few miles away in the Terrick brewery and the welcome guest beers from other breweries.”

Branch members also look forward to the pub’s occasional beer festivals, including the very popular dark beer festival that’s traditionally held at the end of January and into February – a time of year in need of warming cheer.

Following the brewery’s recent expansion, Chiltern Brewery has been able to make many more small batch brews and the King’s Head is the place to find them on draught in perfect condition.