Cain's is first to clinch workplace award

Liverpool brewery Cain's helped Radio 1's breakfast DJ Chris Moyles broadcast to the nation as it became the first UK company to win the station's "Approved Workplace Award".

Cain's national accounts executive Sharon Singh secured the visit with an inspired on-air pitch for the historic company to become the only Liverpool workplace visited during the Breakfast Show's heavily publicised trip to the north-west.

Show host Moyles ­ the self-styled "Saviour of Radio 1" ­ told Sharon that the brewery's inspired strapline of "Liverpool in a Pint" had won the station's vote.

However, the Leeds-born DJ's undisguised love of beer must have had some bearing on the decision because he greeted Sharon's first performance on air with the words: "Where do you work? A brewery? Congratulations! You've won!"

The 150 employees at Cain's Stanhope Street site were left in the dark until 9.30am on Friday when Chris, who was broadcasting from nearby BBC Radio Merseyside, announced that assistant Aled Haydn Jones was about to burst through the gates and hand over the award for the brewery.

Sharon added: "We had told them that Friday was tasting day and even lined up a load of beer for Radio 1 to load in their lorry, so we were really hoping they would turn up.

"Cain's is a famous name in Liverpool, but now an additional six million people have heard of us thanks to Radio 1.

"It was a bit mad when Aled walked through the door to present the award because we had no idea whether we'd won until the lorry featuring Chris Moyles' billboard poster pulled up outside."