Best Bar None - the UK's national awards scheme for best practice in the licensed trade

Bucks New University’s Students’ Union has won a Best Bar None award for the most improved Student Union venue in the UK, having shown its high level of commitment to looking after customers and trading responsibly in the Students’ Union venues.

Best Bar None is a nationally recognised award scheme which measures how responsible a venue is and how committed they are to the licensing objectives. The scheme is administered through the National Union of Students (NUS) and is independently audited against a strict set of criteria. Students’ Unions then measure themselves against each other in a bid to improve, or to reward and share good practice.

The judging criteria ranges from ensuring full compliance with the licensing law, to on the night procedures such as how staff deal with someone who is intoxicated, and venues can also gain bonus marks for going the extra mile to ensure safety and comfort.

The Bucks Students’ Union venue team has worked hard to implement and manage policy which means that its customers are well looked after. The team performed well in its staff training, entry policies and operational procedures, and Andy Smith, Operations Manager for the Bucks Students’ Union, commented: “We have a new venue team this year and I am really pleased they have risen to the challenge. Gaining this award is not an easy task, sometimes it is important to forgo commercial advantage in order to provide a safe and inclusive environment.

“I think this award sums up our values as Bucks Students’ Union; our customers are more important to us than the contents of their wallets and I hope that’s how they feel when they are in our venues”, he continued.

Ged Parker, National Programmes Manager for NUS Services, added: “The award recognises the hard work and commitment of the Bucks Students’ Union over the last 12 months. It’s a great achievement.”

The Best Bar None scheme began as an initiative in Manchester and has since been rolled out to many local councils as well as being adopted by the NUS. Bucks has been involved in the NUS scheme since its introduction and has gained recognition every year since.

Buckinghamshire New University is the only state-funded higher education institution in Buckinghamshire. It has enjoyed a long and successful history since it was founded in 1893 as the School of Science and Art.

The University now offers a range of exciting and innovative awards not widely available in the sector, from commercial pilot training to music industry management, textiles and furniture. Its faculties are aligned to employment markets: creative and cultural industries; the management and information management sectors; and the public sector. Website: bucks.ac.uk