Meet the Publican Awards nominees: Best Community Pub Operator, sponsored by Britvic

Admiral Taverns​

This year was a success for one of Admiral Taverns' community pubs: the Firbank in Wythenshawe, Manchester, which won Best Community Pub​ at the Great British Pub Awards. Speaking after this success, Admiral's CEO Kevin Georgel said: "We remain passionately committed to being the UK's best operator of wet-led community pubs and firmly believe in the enduring qualities of the supported tied tenanted business model."

Cornerstone Inns​

Aiming to follow 2016's success in the Community Pub Operator category is Cheshire-based operator, Cornerstone Inns. Cornerstone has been planning to roll out a scheme that allows customers to buy into ownership of their pubs and following the company's success at the 2016 awards, editor of The Morning Advertiser​, Ed Bedington, said: "This is the kind of business that epitomises the ethos of what a community pub operator should be."

Oakman Inns & Restaurants​

Oakman is a past winner of Best Community Pub Operator at The Publican Awards and the company will be hoping to go one better than the 2016 awards, where it was shortlisted in this category. Founder of the 17-strong pubco, Peter Borg-Neal, told The Morning Advertiser​​: "I'm really proud of our community work. I'm proud when I stand in the corner on a busy evening seeing it all working, customers having fun, staff enjoying themselves. That's what being successful is all about."

The Coaching Inn Group​

Turnover for The Coaching Inn Group has grown by a third in just six months during 2016, and the group has rounded off a successful year by being a finalist in multiple awards at the 2017 Publican Awards, which will be taking place at Battersea Evolution, London, in March.