The licensee of the Old Customs House in Portsmouth has been awarded the title of Manager of the Year by Gunwharf Quays, the city's award-winning £200m waterfront development. David Hughes has made "a real contribution to creating a welcoming, helpful, fun environment at Gunwharf Quays over the year", say judges of the development's Striving for Excellence Awards. They also commended his "exemplary team management, pro-activity, target achievement, customer service and high standards of overall operation". Hughes has won a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, and will stay at a hotel in the V&A Waterfront, the development on which Gunwharf Quays is based. The Old Customs House is a listed building that was part of the HMS Vernon site and owned by the Ministry of Defence. The original building had been painstakingly restored by George Gale & Co, which followed strict guidelines laid down by National Heritage. It is now the development's only traditional pub. Gunwharf Quays, when it opened in 2001, was the UK's first purpose-built waterfront shopping and leisure development.
