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

Rapturous cheers and applause greeted the announcement that the Woodman pub, Carshalton, had won top prize in Sutton’s Best Bar None Awards - with most noise understandably coming from the 20 guests that the pub had treated to the Awards Ceremony Dinner!

It was this generosity, commitment and willingness to go the extra mile for its customers that typified why the judges had chosen The Woodman to be Sutton’s Best Pub and the Overall Winner in the Awards.

Receiving the awards for The Woodman, Vicki Bayliss, who was joined by her business partner Lore Bayliss, said the accolades meant a “great deal”. Turning to her customers with her award raised she declared: “For your loyalty and support you make every day worthwhile.”

The winners were presented with their awards at the BBN Awards Dinner at Epsom Downs Racecourse by the event’s leading sponsors.

At over 2.3 billion, soft drinks are worth twice as much to the on trade as cider and are one of only two categories currently delivery cash growth.

To find out about how to grow your soft drinks with Britvic, please see the attached document.

Britvic - soft drinks

We Are Nottingham, the Business Improvement District which represents all of the leisure businesses in Nottingham city centre, has announced that it will be re-launching a Best Bar None scheme for Nottingham.

Details of the scheme were announced at a launch event yesterday at Dogma Bar and Kitchen, with over 60 attendees from both the licensed trade and the authorities in attendance.

Best Bar None is a national awards and accreditation scheme designed to raise the standards of licensed premises, improve the night time experience for visitors and promote Nottingham as a safe place to enjoy a night out.

Venues that apply will be assessed on various criteria ranging from how they manage the numbers of customers in their venue, to the proactive steps they take to encourage their patrons to be mindful of the neighbours when they leave their premises, to the responsible ways in which they promote drink offers, amongst many others.

The search is on to find licensed premises across Conwy and Denbighshire that could receive special accreditation as part of a national industry oscars for pubs and clubs, the only scheme of its kind in North Wales.

Conwy and Denbighshire Councils’ joint Licensing Teams are administering the Best Bar None scheme, which is backed by the Home Office and the British Institute of Innkeepers.

Twenty licensed premises from across Conwy and Denbighshire were accredited when both councils held their first scheme during 2009. Twenty eight premises applied. The overall winner in 2009 was Club 147, Llandudno, Conwy with the Three Pigeons Inn, Graigfechan, Denbighshire a close runner-up.

This year's winners will be awarded their honours at a ceremony being staged later this year.