Proud of Your Staff: Rose & Crown, Plymouth

The team at the Rose & Crown in Yealmpton, Plymouth, Devon, are the first of 2006 to be nominated as part of The Publican's Proud of Your Staff initiative.

John Stevens, managing director of the Wykeham Group, which owns the pub, believes his staff should be recognised for their efforts in helping the pub to re-open on time after a major refurbishment last year.

Wykeham Group acquired the Rose & Crown in August 2005 and closed it down for renovation. But the company faced a major setback when six petrol tanks were found under the pub. "When the petrol station closed 35 years ago the area was just built over and nobody realised the tanks still contained petrol," said Mr Stevens.

The fire brigade threatened to stall the building process and evacuate all residents living within a quarter mile radius, but eventually the renovations were allowed to go ahead after the tanks were removed.

After this, the team - led by general manager Daniel Ough - spent countless hours, sometimes working through the night, to ensure the pub was ready on time.

Eventually the Rose & Crown opened for business as planned on December 9, which Mr Stevens puts down to the staff. He explains: "Not only did they help with the building work, they put up with almost impossible conditions.

"When the chefs started in the kitchen the carpenters were still working in there. But despite all this the team achieved the impossible and they opened on time. I'm most certainly proud of them."

• Are you Proud of Your Staff? Tell us why one member of your team or your whole staff deserves to be recognised in our Proud of Your Staff feature, and they could receive a star prize. Call the Proud of Pubs hotline on 020 7955 3713 or email cebhqbschof@gurchoyvpna.pbz​.