A GODMANCHESTER man has travelled the country to become the first person to visit 1,000 pubs as part of Cask Marque’s World’s Biggest Ale Trail.

Jean-Paul Russek, xxx, an area manager for Punch Taverns, started his malty mission in Reading last May when he used the challenge’s mobile phone app to scan his first Cask Margque certificate.

“I can’t believe how far I’ve come – and how many pubs I’ve visited – in just under a year,” he said. “I started visiting pubs on the app, partly out of research for my role at Punch as well as a genuine love of cask ale.

“From then, it has escalated, taking me across the country to visit so many different types of pubs from Devon to as north as Edinburgh – I really have scoured the country.”

Director of Cask Marque Paul Nunny presented Jean-Paul with a framed certificate last month.

Mr Nunny said: “The Cask Finder app is a great tool for real-ale lovers, or those who want to try it for the first time, to search for cask-marque accredited pubs nationwide. The app lists 8,348 pubs and as it is viewed in real-time so users can see their nearest pub.

“Since we began 15 months ago, 10,500 people have registered for the ‘Ale Trail’ and over 57,000 scans have been recorded.”

He added: “Jean-Paul has been a great supporter of the World’s Biggest Ale Trail and it is a great achievement to become the first person to reach 1,000 pubs. The app’s popularity has exceeded our expectations, and we look to see if anyone goes on to beat his score.”

INFORMATION: You can download the free Cask Marque by visiting www.cask-marque.co.uk/app