IT was three cheers for Steve Hall and his staff at a Bodmin pub after being presented with a CAMRA Pub of the Year award it had previously been stripped of.

The venue, on the site of what was once the town’s debtors prison had been the winner of a coveted CAMRA award which was later taken away by the national body amid a controversy over a historical artefact displayed in the pub.

A single complaint to the body had complained over the presence of a swastika among the artefacts in the venue, which includes old de-activated guns, coasters, vintage signs, coins, old foreign currency and old hats in addition to a stuffed lion.

The offending article at the centre of the complaint, a swastika armband, was brought back from World War II by a Cornish serviceman, and like many of the artefacts in the venue, is likely to have been traded for ales.

After the complaint, the swastika was removed from its display in a dark corner of the venue.

After an appeal to the national body was launched by the Cornwall branch of CAMRA against the decision to strip the Hole in the Wall of the award, it was reinstated.

A spokesperson for the national CAMRA body said at the time of the reinstatement: “Hole in the Wall, Bodmin, has had its Cornwall CAMRA Branch Pub of the Year Award reinstated following a review by CAMRA’s national Awards Committee.

“The award was initially withdrawn at the end of March following a complaint about an offensive item on display.

“After an appeal by the Cornwall branch to CAMRA’s Awards Committee the committee agreed that the award for Cornwall Pub of the Year should be reinstated. CAMRA appreciates the licensee’s swift action in removing the item and apologises for any upset caused.”

Surrounded by a packed pub and beer garden comprising of the local community and fellow publicans, Mr Hall was presented with the CAMRA award by the chair of the Cornwall committee.

A visibly proud Mr Hall thanked all those present, Cornwall CAMRA and those further afield for the support shown to him and his staff.