Star Pubs & Bars announces award-winning licensees

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.”