The pub has now earned a place in the final ten of The Northern Echo's Best Pub 2026 competition after readers nominated their favourite locals. The Green Tree pub in Bishop Auckland (Image: STUART BOULTON)Originally from Middlesbrough, Chris has lived in Bishop Auckland for the past 40 years and has spent most of his working life in the pub trade. Chris said: “I got brought up in a pub which was why we moved to Bishop Auckland in the first place when my father finished playing football. The Green Tree pub in Bishop Auckland (Image: STUART BOULTON)Although he had vowed not to run another pub, Chris said The Green Tree was the one venue that persuaded him to return to the trade when the previous landlords decided to leave. He said: “I had always known if I was ever to get back in the game, The Green Tree would be the only one that would tempt me.”