PUBS often get a bad press for young binge drinkers or disorderly behaviour but many pubs provide a valuable service to the community. Now the Love Your Local campaign is offering you the chance to celebrate your favourite London pub.

The Red Lion and Sun in North Road, Highgate, is one of those nominated in the Stella Artois campaign awards. Owner Heath Ball, 35, says his pub is one of the few left that has not become a "gastro pub".

He said: "We’re a modern pub, not gastro trying to be fancy. We serve modern pub food and we’re not expensive. We do a hamburger, but it’s an amazing hamburger."

Mr Ball is glad local pubs are getting some recognition. He said: "There’s not much going on for the pub scene. You get overlooked with the gastro pub, so it’s nice if they have a bit more recognition. I want people coming here three of four times a week.

"We’re keeping up with the times. Our menu is very good and very reasonable. We get a lot of repeat business because we’re value for money."

The pub’s nomination, which can be read online, said: "This pub has it all. Two beer gardens for summer, two fire places in winter, a great menu that isn’t overpriced, friendly staff, and until now not many people know about this gem."

Mr Ball took over ownership of the pub last May and sponsored the recent Highgate Festival. For him a relaxed atmosphere rather than a binge drinking one is the key to success.

He said: "We have a broad range of people coming here, from children through to 90-year-olds.

"I think the clientele are a bit more discerning, they’re couples and families. People come and have a bottle of wine and chill out, they’re a lot more sensible."

Paul Ryder, 54, landlord of Ye Olde Cherry Tree, a popular pub on The Green in Southgate, is also quite aggrieved at the treatment of pubs today. He said: "I’ve been running pubs since 1982 and I’ve got to say it’s a minority who have trouble with binge drinking. We are a very busy pub and I can honestly say that, touch wood, we’ve never had any problems. I feel a bit aggrieved because there are a lot of pubs out there who have no problems at all."

His pub used to be a coaching inn and a posting house and is now popular with locals as well as travellers. Mr Ryder added: "We’re a traditional pub with lots of low beams. We’re quite big but we’ve got a cosy atmosphere. We’re pretty much the focal point of the community. It’s important to have a pub in the community so people can meet up and not have to drive."

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels actor turned pub landlord, Jason Flemyng, is spearheading the Love Your Local campaign.

He said: "Pubs get a bad press. Underage drinking, drunkenness, anti-social behaviour, violence. If you believed the stories it would make you wonder why anyone bothers going to their local.

"Everywhere you look in London there are locals that people want to frequent, establishments which are warm and welcoming, safe, promote a responsible drinking environment and happen to serve a decent pint."

A spokesman for the campaign said: "The idea is to identify and highlight the positive role a pub can play in a community, to celebrate great London pubs which epitomise great local and community spirit and to help promote responsible drinking and pro-social behaviour."

Ron Andrews, president of Barnet and Enfield’s branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, said: "Fifty-seven pubs are shutting every month and it’s such a shame. There a lots of factors - a change in ethnic groups, the smoking ban and the property market. It’s a death knell for the local pub. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

"I personally think there’s nothing better than a pub being used as the centre of a community."

Drinkers can nominate their favourite pub at loveyourlocal.co.uk.