Independent brewer and pub retailer Hydes has crowned the winners of its summer-long 'Race Across Hydes' pub crawl, with two local men walking away with the £1,500 grand prize after ticking off 27 pubs following a rapid North West dash.

The initiative, devised to encourage customers to experience the quality and variety that Hydes pubs offer, sent beer fans across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, the Wirral, and North Wales on a mission to collect stamps from participating venues across the company's 44 pub estate.

The overall £1,500 grand prize was clinched by duo Andy Sharpe and Trevor Jones from Chester, who completed the mammoth circuit of all 27 pubs in the quickest time inside 24 hours, covering an estimated 250 miles. Andy and Trevor are regulars at Hydes pub, The Mount in Chester.

Their winning strategy relied on slick teamwork, with Trevor taking the wheel as driver while Andy dashed into each location to purchase a drink and secure the crucial Hydes map stamp.

13 dedicated groups of participants managed to visit all 27 Hydes pubs on the map before the end of race deadline with scores more taking up the challenge and partially completing tour cards to enter the free prize draw for a £500 secondary reward and additional prizes.

The results remained a closely guarded secret until the celebratory event at The Victoria in Withington on Thursday, 20th August. Guests enjoyed a welcome drink, a buffet, live entertainment, and a pub quiz before the big reveal. Prizes were presented on the night by members of the Hydes operations team, including head of operations Neil Lawrence, alongside operations managers Dave Beswick and Luke Tanker.

Victorious pub crawler Trevor, who collected the prize cheque on the night, said: "We had a brilliant time taking part and would definitely do it again next year. Once we planned our route across the region, it became a proper mission. We counted over 200 sets of traffic lights on our journey and thankfully the lights were on our side, which helped us to reach each destination quicker. Completing the journey on a Sunday also meant the roads were quieter. Getting around all 27 pubs took some serious effort and strategic planning, but visiting so many great pubs along the way made it completely worthwhile. To come out on top and take home the £1,500 prize is the icing on the cake."

Adam Mayers, managing director of Hydes, said: "The turnout for the race was brilliant. We wanted a fresh way to get people out exploring our sites, from city centre drinking spots to quiet rural local gems and this was a novel incentive to encourage visitors to try out our pubs.

“Covering a 250-mile stretch that spans from Cheshire and Manchester city centre to the Wirral and North Wales demonstrated great determination from our winners but everyone who sent in a card put in a real shift and enjoyed their time trying to complete the challenge. The whole event was designed to bring new and regular customers together and showcase the variety across our estate."

Hydes was founded in 1863 and runs its brewing and pub operations out of Media City in Salford.