The Waggon has been run by Nick and Mandy Winnington for the past seven and a half years, during which time it has been a fixture in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide. The pub is owned by the Wisbech brewery, Elgoods, and is their most southerly outlet; it sells a full range of their superb beers including Cambridge Bitter (rarely seen in Cambridge) which was voted Britain's best bitter in CAMRA's most recent Champion Beer of Britain awards.

Paul Ainsworth, Cambridge CAMRA's Pubs Officer, said "The Waggon scored very highly on all our main Pub of the Year criteria - great quality beer, a welcoming atmosphere, good value for money. What impressed the judges in particular though is that this is a pub with real character - a far cry from the identikit bars which now dominate the city centre".

The Waggon gets a lot of its individuality from the unashamed eccentricity of Nick the landlord. He's a former parliamentary candidate for the Raving Monster Loony Party and his famous collection of hats can be admired hanging from the pub ceiling.

The awards presentations to Nick and Mandy will take place at the pub on 19th June (8pm).

The next stage of the competition sees the Waggon up against the top pubs from neighbouring counties for the East Anglian Pub of the Year crown; the result will be known by the end of August.

The other Cambs finalists were The Chequers Little Gransden (Huntingdonshire Branch), The West End House Ely (Ely branch) and The Drapers Arms Peterborough (Peterborough Branch).