The Swan on Mill Lane, Clewer, has won Best Community Pub at the Great British Pub Awards 2026, its second win in that category and third award since 2019.
The Swan on Mill Lane in Clewer Village has been named Best Community Pub at the Great British Pub Awards 2026, the second time the Windsor pub has taken that trophy. The result was announced at a gala ceremony in Leeds, the pub said in a statement released on 29 September.
It is the third award The Swan has won at the event in the seven years since it reopened in 2019. The pub’s own website records the earlier community title as Community Pub of the Year 2024.
The awards are organised by The Morning Advertiser, which the pub calls “the UK pub industry’s leading trade publication”. The Swan says they have been running for more than 20 years and are “heralded as the Oscars of the pub industry”.
A cheer back in Clewer
The award was presented on stage to The Swan’s general manager, Micky Foden-Andrews, who was at the ceremony with his wife, Jess. The ceremony was streamed live to the pub, where, in the pub’s words, “a huge cheer went up as The Swan was announced the winner, leading to an evening of jubilant celebration.”
Micky’s message after the win went first to the people who drink there:
“First and foremost, a huge thank you to The Swan team and all of our supporters. A community pub is nothing without its community! The energy and support you have brought to The Swan over the past 7 years to bring it back to life has been astonishing. This can be seen in the huge array of different clubs, activities and events we hold here, as well as our unique on-site partnership with The Green Room College, whose aim is to provide young people, who have faced challenges in mainstream education, with a safe yet brave alternative where they can learn, get to know our community and develop the confidence to go on and have a bright future.”
Why the judges picked it
The pub’s own account of the verdict is that the clubs and the college “demonstrated to the judges that The Swan is more than a pub, it’s the heart of the community, with lots going on, thus giving it an edge in a very strong field of worthy finalists from across Britain.”
The Swan describes itself as community owned and independently operated, and says it is the only pub in England with a school on site: The Green Room College, which offers education and vocational opportunities to 16 to 18 year olds. The pub says it hosts more than 20 community groups.
The weekly and monthly ones on its events page when we checked on 30 September included:
- The Chatty Café, Friday lunchtimes, a drop-in for a chat and a cuppa
- The Swan Chess Club, Mondays at 7pm, for players of all abilities
- The Swan Book Club, the first Monday of each month, in the Coach House
Its annual highlight is SwanFest, held in August.
Beer awards too
The community trophy is not the pub’s only recent recognition. Its website says The Swan was awarded Cask Marque in 2026 after an unannounced inspection of its beer and cellar, and that it has been listed in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide for six consecutive years.
Going to The Swan
The Swan is on Mill Lane, Clewer, Windsor, SL4 5JG (our listing, with directions). The pub says there is no need to book for a drink; for food, particularly the Thursday and Friday Thai menu, it recommends booking a table through its website.
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