Old China team are smashing

The team at the Old China Hand in Clerkenwell, London, is the latest to be nominated for The Publican's Proud of Your Staff initiative.​ Licensee Rowena Smith is particularly proud of her 10-strong team for the attitude they displayed over the recent New Year period.

Despite being told by other licensees in the area that it was not worth opening on New Year's Eve, Rowena was persuaded to give it a go by her eager staff.

"A lot of our trade is office-based and everyone said it would be dead because everywhere is closed," says Rowena, who took over the pub as a freehold last March.

"But all my staff said they would like to work and be together, so we opened.

"I managed to get a piper in to play, which made it a real occasion, and by midnight we were packed out. Everyone agreed it was one of the best New Year's ever."

Rowena says the commitment that her staff showed on the night was brilliant. "They didn't even ask for extra money -but I ended up paying them double," she says.

"I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world to have such loyal staff!"