The industry's leading lights shrugged off a tough year to celebrate success at last night's glittering Publican Awards ceremony.Gathering at the largest ever industry awards, licensees and pub operators triumphed in overcoming one of the hardest 12 months pubs have seen.Despite the effects of foot-and-mouth, the spectre of recession and the drop in tourism following September 11, competition within the 18 awards categories was as fierce as ever.Highlights included a double win for Suffolk brewer and pub operator Greene King which was named Pub Company of the Year in both the managed (100+ outlets) and tenanted (100+ outlets) categories.The success follows a year of unprecedented growth for the company. Among its major achievements in the last 12 months, Greene King has successfully integrated the Old English Inns estate, which it bought in 2001, and reversed declining ale sales with a cask ale promotion that resulted in a two per cent volume growth.This is the second year in a row that the pub operator's tenanted division has won the award. Publican Lance Scally is also celebrating after being named this year's British Institute of Innkeeping Licensee of the Year.Mr Scally, of the Fox and Grapes pub in Hawarden, Flintshire, built trade at the pub by attracting custom from nearby Chester and Deeside and now hopes to take on other outlets, training staff at the Fox to be managers.As this article was posted, Anglia Television was filming a report on The Publican's Businesswoman of the Year, Julie Savory of the Cherry Tree pub in Norfolk, who overcame breast cancer last year to win the award for her work transforming the freehouse and developing local microbrewery Buffy's.The 2002 Publican Awards ceremony, which attracted a record 1,772 guests from across the industry, was hosted by top TV comedian Frank Skinner. It was the largest event ever held at the Grosvenor House on London's Park Lane.Publican Awards 2002: Roll of honour
