Excellence recognised at the National Pubwatch Awards 2021
The event, which was sponsored by pub chain JD Wetherspoon and judged by the NPW Committee, gave out a number of awards, with the top accolade given to the Bedford pubwatch Bedsafe.
National Pubwatch chairman Steve Baker OBE said: “It has been a privilege after such a difficult couple of years to be able to recognise those in the licensed trade for all their good work and commitment.
“Recognising individuals and groups that have gone ‘above and beyond’ to help ensure a safe licensed trade is even more crucial this year as the industry faces its greatest challenge coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
NPW Committee members commended the social responsibility of the Bedsafe scheme when awarding it the National Pubwatch Award 2021, as the members work with local police and council to target alcohol-related disorder in the town.
The judges highlighted the support given to the scheme by night-time economy workers, who have suffered assault and harassment from people who had been drinking.
Doing the right thing
This resulted in six people being banned for assaulting police officers, three for assaulting door staff and one for assaulting a taxi driver.
Chairman of the Bedsafe Pubwatch Mark Judd said: “It reinforces that what we have been doing is the right thing.
“It will make people realise that we are leading the way, showing how it can be done and how pubwatch can positively protect the community.”
The director of pub chain Rockpoint Leisure and chairman of the Institute of Licensing (IoL) Dan Davies, was presented with the National Pubwatch Award of Merit.
As chairman, Davies was a vocal and active supporter of pubwatch, and said he was “honoured” to receive the award, which acknowledges the valuable contributions individuals have made to the success of countrywide pubwatch schemes.
The chairman has worked in the industry since the age of 16, starting out as a glass collector before becoming a licensee at 18 and then founding CPL, the biggest training IT supplies, which he ran for 30 years.
Protecting the public
“I am passionate about this industry,” he said.
The door supervisor at Shooshh club, Brighton in East Sussex, Clive Read, won the Bravery and Meritorious Conduct Award for detaining a rapist and rescuing a young girl on Brighton Beach.
Read said: “We are protecting the public even outside our venue because we feel that it’s important that customers are able to leave a nightclub and continue their journey or get home in safety.
“To be honest I was just doing my job.”
The general manager of the Winery Bar Restaurant, Burton in Staffordshire, Becky Goulding, was awarded the Bravery and Meritorious Conduct Award for helping a customer who collapsed from cardiac arrest in the car park.
Goulding immediately started CPR and called for another member of staff to ring for an ambulance, saving his life.
She said: “To have saved a man’s life is just out of this world and to then be recognised for it as well. It is incredible.”
