Licensee of the Year 2024 winner unveiled
Justine Lorriman from the Royal Dyche in Burnley, Lancashire took the title, beating off stiff competition from five other finalists.
She was presented with the trophy at the BII Summer Event today (Tuesday 18 June), which took place at The HAC Royal Artillery Ground in London.
After being presented with the award, Lorriman thanked her partner and the BII, describing the experience of the accolade as “incredible”.
Next opportunities
She added: “Everyone has been really supportive, all the finalists as well. We already feel like one big family. Coming here on my own was really daunting but everybody has been so welcoming and friendly.
“It has been such an incredible experience and I can’t wait to see what opportunities come next.”
The Royal Dyche is no stranger to awards as it was also named Best Pub to Watch Sport at the 2023 Great British Pub Awards.
A great place to watch all live sports, the Burnley pub is a wet-led freehouse that also champions live music and has a sense of community and inclusivity.
Awards process
LOYA was launched in January this year, in partnership with Sky Business, in a bid to find the best individual licensee operators in the UK.
Finalists were shortlisted from a field of more than 300 entrants and were selected based on their community impact, support for their teams, commitment to sustainability and their plans for diversification.
Each shortlisted pub had exceptional mystery diner visit scores and faced financial and online audits, followed by face-to-face interviews in their sites with judges Amanda Hemming and Ashley McCarthy.
The final part of the process then took place on Monday 17 June at Sky HQ where finalists faced more judging.
