The search for the country's best bar teams is on

The hunt for the nation's top bar teams is now on!

The frontline of pub retailing, the people who customers are most likely to deal with face-to-face, are the nation's barstaff - and it's about time we gave those people some recognition.

Does your team go the extra mile for your business and your community? Have they raised money for charity at your pub, come up with a new idea to take your business forward - or simply made a major contribution to your bottom line?

Perhaps your team has pulled together when another member of your line-up has fallen ill.

Whatever your story, The Publican wants to know as part of our new Proud of Your People initiative, being run in association with Fairy.

Every month from now until November we will be profiling a team that stands out from the rest.

And as the next 10 months unfold we'll be building up a picture of some of the very best teams in the business - before picking out one extra-special line-up as an overall winner in November at an awards lunch in London.

And there are big prizes for the pubs with the best stories to tell.

Each monthly winning team will receive a £300 cash prize for a celebratory night out - while the licensee who nominates them will get a basket of Fairy products worth £50.

And our overall winning pub will receive a deep clean worth up to £1,500 - as well as £100-worth of Fairy products.

"People make pubs - it's as simple as that," says Chris Gale, head of marketing, Procter & Gamble Professional, the company behind Fairy.

"It is for this very reason that Fairy is proud to be working with The Publican on Proud of Your People. We recognise that running a pub is a tough job and the team behind you - be it the barstaff, the kitchen brigade or the cleaning staff - are key to making your job easier, your customers happier and your pub a resounding success."

The unsung heroes of the trade can often be left out when it comes to industry accolades.

"We therefore encourage you to take a little time out to consider your staff and nominate the team, or individual, who give their job their all and have made a real difference to their colleagues, the customers or the community," continues Chris.

"Proud of Your People also gives us an opportunity to reinforce our support of the industry through the development and production of the world's most trusted and respected cleaning brands."

Why not enter your team in Proud of your People today - you might just clean up!

Nominate your team​

• Visit www.thepublican.com/proudofpubs and tell us why you are proud of your team online in less than 100 words.

• Ring 020 7955 3780 - leave your name, pub name and telephone number, and tell us why you are proud of your team in less than one minute.

• Write to Proud of Your People, The Publican, CMPI, Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 9UY - tell us your name, pub name and telephone number, and why you are proud of your team in less than 100 words.

Please note this competition is only open to freetraders, tenants and lessees, and our ususal competition rules apply.

The prizes​

Every month over the next 10 months one winner will be picked out and profiled in The Publican and on thepublican.com.

Each winning team will win a £300 cash prize for a team night out - while the nominating licensee will get a Fairy product hamper for themselves worth £50.

All monthly winners will be invited to an awards lunch in London in November, where one overall winner will be picked out by a team of judges from The Publican and Fairy - with the pub receiving a deep clean worth up to £1,500, and a Fairy product hamper worth £100.

"Going the extra mile"​

The Huntsman's Tavern in Colchester, Essex, has been through difficult times recently - but staff have stuck with the pub and new licensee Caroline Vaclauik to help turn the fortunes of the business around.

When the previous licensee ran into difficulties two months ago, staff were left without holiday pay and with dwindling morale.

When Caroline took over she found a team who were ready for a fresh start. "Things got really difficult for all of them towards the end," she says. "But they have decided to stay on. Things have turned around completely and they're all happy to help out and introduce me to people because I'm not a local girl. It's been really nice. I'm really proud of them."

The staff's enthusiasm and the turnaround in the pub's fortunes has not gone unnoticed by the local community.

"Even the customers are now positive. It affected the other side of the bar as well. Some people have been coming in here 40 or 50 years and there's been all sorts of rumours that it was going to be pulled down and things like that. It became unsettling for them," says Caroline.

"They've seen a real change. I was talking to one patron today, he came in at Sunday lunchtime and there was a customer here who they hadn't seen for seven years. Word of mouth is getting around."

The work the team has put in to help Caroline settle in has been above and beyond the call of duty. As well as introducing her to the area and the locals, they have been coming in, in their own time, to help her with the paperwork. "I'm really, really pleased," she says. "We're all really looking forward to the future."

"Excellent customer service​"

Were it not for its team of dedicated and enthusiastic staff, the family-run Wateredge Inn in Ambleside, Cumbria, might struggle to cope with the seasonal demands of being located in one of the UK's most famous beauty spots.

Situated on the edge of Lake Windermere in the Lake District, the Inn gets frantically busy in the summer and relies on the repeat custom of locals to get it through the winter.

Richard Timpson, one of the duty managers at the Inn, says: "We're very proud of all of our staff. They all crack on, do their bit and do it well."

Although there are busy periods, the staff never let their standards slip, says Richard. "We are very, very busy in the summer. We can do 600 meals in an afternoon and a couple of hundred in the evening."

But it is the sense of team spirit and the unfalteringly excellent customer service that is essential to the Wateredge Inn's success and keeps patrons coming back in the slower winter months.

"They all get on so well together and it really does come across to the customers that they are a team. Everyone enjoys themselves and enjoys working," says Richard.