The best of Britain’s pub trade professionals were celebrated as Yorkshire licensees Ashley and Kelly McCarthy CBII were presented with the coveted BII Licensee of the Year Award, and Tom Manville MBII from the University of Winchester became the first licensee to receive the Jeremy Allen Award for excellence in training.
The awards were announced at the annual BII Luncheon held at Grosvenor House in London, attended by licensed trade professionals from across the UK.
BII Licensee of the Year Award
Ashley and Kelly from the Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, York, submitted their entry to the UK’s most respected national award for licensees in early January and since then, have been through four challenging rounds which included a pub visit from the lead judges and facing a nine-strong panel of industry experts who questioned every aspect of their business in detail.
The couple impressed at every stage, and despite the extremely high standards of their fellow finalists, took the top spot thanks to their passion, determination and a clear understanding of their audience.
Ashley and Kelly took over their pub in 2004 and have since built up an enviable reputation based on their quality food and extensive drinks offering, alongside the community events programme including cookery classes.
BII CEO Tim Hulme said: “The Licensee of the Year Award, sponsored by Britvic, is a highly revered accolade that propels winners into the spotlight and gives them an opportunity to push their careers to the next level. I am sure Ashley and Kelly will prove to be inspirational holders of the award over the next year and provide a great example for fellow licensees across the country.”
Jeremy Allen Award for excellence in training
“We are also delighted to congratulate student union bar manager at the University of Winchester, Tom Manville, who became the first winner of the Jeremy Allen Award launched to celebrate excellence in training and staff development in the licensed trade. Tom impressed the judges with his dedication to training and motivating his staff, most of whom were new to the business. He excels at educating them on all aspects of responsibility, age, alcohol and supervision, and has developed training programmes both in and away from the business for all new entrants.”