Star Pubs & Bars announces award-winning licensees

The winners of Star Pubs & Bars Star Awards were unveiled last night (17 November) at a glittering awards ceremony, hosted by footballing icon Chris Kamara in Liverpool.

The gala evening hosted 100 licensees and their partners representing 61 finalist and winning pubs.

The winners were:

  • Best Bar Team - PG Taverns (Scotland), Gordon Gilhooley and Iain Pert, the Jolly Botanist, Edinburgh
  • Live Sports Venue - Lauren and Jaimie Hopwood and Gavin Fernavs, The Thornton Arms, Burnley
  • Team Training - Flying Pig & Lobster, The Elephant, Liverpool
  • Heart of the Community - Pete Robinson and Ness Wilkinson, The Wheatsheaf, Woodplumpton, Lancashire
  • Famous for Food - Mark and Sarah Anderson, The Ruddington Arms, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire
  • Most Family Friendly - Kate Hayden and Paul Warriner, the Snow Goose, Farnborough, Hampshire
  • Best Outdoor Pub - Colin Stuart and Kenny Watson, CookHouse Pub & Carvery, Prestatyn, North Wales
  • Pint Perfection - Stephen and Tony Martin, Three Wheatsheaves, Nottingham
  • Best Cask Pub - David King, City Tavern, Newcastle
  • Marketing - Kelly and Darren Lea, The Faulkner, Hoole, Chester
  • Best Use of Social Media - Paul Thompson and Peter Evans, The Hastings, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland
  • Best Newcomer - Michael Thomas, the Dovecote, Narborough, Leicestershire
  • Retailer of the Year - Flying Pig & Lobster, The Elephant, Liverpool
  • Star Pub of the Year - Whiting & Hammond, Blue Ball, Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey

Exceptional achievements were also awarded to:

  • Flying Pig & Lobster which took home two awards – Team Training and Retailer of the Year – for The Elephant in Liverpool.
  • Whiting & Hammond which received the Star Pub of the Year award, for the Blue Ball at Walton-on-the-Hill.
  • Pete Robinson and Ness Wilkinson who scooped the Heart of the Community Award for The Wheatsheaf, Woodplumpton, for the second year in a row.
  • David King of City Tavern, Newcastle, who won Best Cask Pub and finalist positions for Best Bar Team and Retailer of the Year.

Star Pubs & Bars managing director Lawson Mountstevens said: “Standard were were higher than ever this year and the competition was very tough.

“The new talent we’re attracting to Star is of a high calibre, as these awards demonstrate.

“Likewise, many of our existing operators are at the forefront of the sector, pushing standards ever higher for the pub industry as a whole. It was a great honour to be able to recognise some of the country’s greatest licensees in our Star Awards.”