A BAR has fought off competition from hundreds of other drinking establishments nationwide to reach the finals of Music Pub of the Year.

Riff's Bar in Hook, near Wootton Bassett, has been nominated for the third year in a row at the Performing Right Society sponsored award.

This puts the bar in the top six music pubs in the country.

And now landlord and landlady Andy Pett, 37, and Tiggy York, 31, will be zooming off to London for a glamorous awards ceremony in a top hotel.

This year's ceremony will be taking place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on March 22 where the Riff's Bar couple will find out if they have been successful in their bid.

Judges have commended Riff's Bar for its innovative use of music that has included featuring international artists, open mic and theme nights, music quizzes and unplugged nights.

Andy and Tiggy, who took over the pub three and a half years ago, say that profits have soared since they introduced musical events.

"We are obviously ecstatic that we have been nominated," Andy said.

"It is a testament to all the hard work that has been put in to make this as good a music venue as possible. For the pub industry this is like their equivalent of the Oscars.

"We try to have as good a mix of bands of possible to cover all possible tastes.

"The whole pub revolves around music, so it's great to be recognised."

John Axon, executive director at the PRS, praised Riff's Bar for being voted within the top six music bars in the UK this year.

"Congratulations to the Riff's Bar team," he said. "They are clearly making a huge impact with their music and have achieved great success as a result.

"We look forward to the big night and finding out who has won," he said.

Musician Mark Gow-land has played at the venue several times in the past three years with his bands Rough News and the Greasy Gravy Blues Band. He even celebrated his 40th birthday there.

The harmonica player said: "I would say that it is without a doubt the best venue in the Swindon area."

Jamie Hill