BECKY Newman is a modern-day heroine.

In the badlands of London she is flying the flag for quality, bringing proper Yorkshire beer to those poor, deprived masses in the capital. So she richly deserves the award that will come her way today.

For the best part of a decade, she has been hosting an annual Yorkshire Beer Festival at her pub, The Bricklayers Arms in Putney, serving a selection of the country’s best beers.

The ninth festival is taking place this weekend with 72 ales, all supplied by Denzil Vallance from North Yorkshire brewery Great Heck. And today, Denzil will present Becky with an award recognising her “missionary work” and her “longstanding efforts to bring a taste of Yorkshire civilisation to the wilds of London”.

Says Denzil: “It is with great humility that we made this award. Around the time of her festival every year, being in London is almost bearable for Yorkshire folk and this massive improvement in habitability is almost entirely attributable to The Brickies’ Yorkshire Beer Festival.”