BII Licensee of the Year finalists announced
The finalists in the 2009 BII Licensee of the Year Award, as part of The Publican Awards, have been unveiled.
Judges John Vereker and John Sharratt visited the 16 semi-finalists and, after much deliberation, have narrowed them down to six.
The finalists are:
• Paul Mallon from Laverys Bar in Belfast
• Philip Davison from The Sun in the Wood in Ashmore Green, Newbury, Berkshire
• David Deacon and Kate Deacon from the Shoulder of Mutton in Kirkby Overblow, North Yorkshire
• Ashley McCarthy and Kelly McCarthy from Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire
• Darran Lingley from the Five Bells in Colne Engaine, Colchester, Essex
• John McKitterick from The Atlantic Hotel in St Mary's on the Isle of Scilly
The final six now face a challenging series of panel interviews in London this month. The winner will be crowned the 2009 BII Licensee of the Year at The Publican Awards next month.
The BII Licensee of the Year enjoys national "celebrity" status and benefits from extensive local, national and trade publicity. The prize also includes £1,000 to donate to their chosen charity and a case of wine to auction for charity, courtesy of award sponsor Matthew Clark.
BII director of marketing Sue Medhurst said: "Each of these finalists truly deserves to reach this stage of the competition and I know that choosing a winner will be a difficult decision.
"We wish them all the very best of luck and look forward to celebrating the successes of the 2009 BII Licensee of the Year."
