Great Inns of Britain

Firstly – our Cricket County Champions for 2011. Left arm spinner Gary Keedy, whose birthday is on Lancashire Day, will be signing out The Championship Trophy for the day and be on hand at The Millstone – a wonderful photo opportunity for all followers of the game.

Secondly, we’ll be celebrating the fantastic beers brewed in the county – and specifically by parent company Daniel Thwaites, who scooped two awards in the European Beer Star Awards, which are the European Oscars for bottled beers – a Gold medal for Lancaster Bomber in the English Style Bitter category (following a gold in 2007 as well) and a Silver medal in the English Style Golden Ale category ( it also won a bronze medal last year ).

And – because all great things come in threes – The Millstone’s award of The Lancashire Life Hotel of the Year for 2011-12 earlier this month. Earlier this year The Millstone became the founding member of Thwaites Inns of Character, a new group of coaching inns, offering guests exceptional value, great home cooked food and superb cask ales.

Special guests for the day will be the Thwaites magnificent Shire Horses, and a signed Lancashire County Cricket shirt kindly donated by the club will be raffled to raise money for Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley.

Tickets go on sale on Saturday morning at £1 per ticket and Chef Patron Anson Bolton will make the draw of the winning ticket at 6pm on Sunday evening.