The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes
The winners of the Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes 2020 revealed
This year’s event, the Great British Pub Awards Pub Heroes, has highlighted how key pubs were to communities in the lockdown, and as pubs continue to face a bumpy and challenging road to recovery in light of new restrictions, the stories behind these fantastic operators deserve to be heard.
Watch the awards:
The awards, which were held tonight (Thursday, September 24) celebrated some truly inspirational stories of how despite the huge restrictions placed upon them, pubs continued to step up and serve the communities that relied on them.
It also encouraged viewers to donate to the Licensed Trade Charity – the charity of the industry, helping staff in the on-trade through tough times. Donations lines are still open and you can donate by texting PUB10 to 70191 to donate £10 PUB20 for £20 and PUB30 for £30. Every penny supports licensed trade people and their families.
The winners from the awards are just the tip of the iceberg of amazing operators out there who refused to give up hope and continued to provide vital lifelines to struggling people during the lockdown.
How important pubs are
As restrictions once again come into force on a beleaguered pub sector, the Great British Pub Awards is there to remind us how important the sector is, and why pubs need support and protection during these challenging times.
Ed Bedington, editor of The Morning Advertiser, which organises the awards, said: “At a time when pubs could be forgiven for barring the doors and pulling down the shutters, many operators did the exact opposite of that, pivoting their businesses to offer vitally important services to communities which were crying out for support.
“The stories from all our finalists, not just our winners, have been awe inspiring. We’ve seen pubs that have literally been a lifeline for some people, and businesses that against all the odds have survived and even thrived in the face of unprecedented challenges.
“I want to pay tribute to all of them, and say how proud I am that we’re able to recognise their achievements with these awards. Winners or not, they all deserve recognition for the brilliant things they’ve done.”
65,000 people voting
The finalists in these awards had been shortlisted by a team of industry judges, from a field of more than 650 entries, before being put to the public vote to decide our final winners with more than 65,000 people voting for their winning pubs.
All winners are now eligible to apply for grant funding thanks to Coca-Cola, for £1,000 towards a charity of their choice and a further £10,000 to be put towards a business improvement or community project in their area.
Bedington added: “The Coca-Cola grant money is the icing on the cake for these wonderful operators and I hope it will enable them to enhance their recovery from the pandemic or reinforce those ties to their local communities.”
The winners of the Great British Pub Awards Pub Heroes 2020 are:
Click on the links to see each winner's video.
- The Bowgie Inn, Newquay, Cornwall - Staff Welfare
- Spread Eagle, Bromley Cross, Bolton - Pub Shop
- The Portsmouth Arms, Basingstoke - Charity Champion
- The Golden Lion Inn, Redruth, Cornwall - Front Line Support
- The Nook Cocktail Bar, Weymouth - Business Continuity
- The Keel Row, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland - Feeding the Community
- The Fox at Peasemore, Newbury, Berkshire - Feeding the Community
- The White Horse, Kings Lynn, Norfolk - Community Mindfulness
- The Crown Inn, Gayton, Norfolk - Sheltering the Community
- The Swan, Clewer, Windsor - Keeping the Community Entertained
- The Clifton Arms, Blackburn - Admiral Taverns Pub Hero of the Year
- Mowden Hotel, Darlington - Ei Publican Partnerships Pub Hero of the Year
- The Fountain, Aberfeldy, Perthshire - Greene King Pub Partners Pub Hero of the Year
- The Victoria, Liverpool - Punch Pubs & Co Pub Hero of the Year
- The Hare and Hounds, West Ardsley, Leeds - Star Pubs & Bars Pub Hero of the Year
The awards are kindly sponsored by Booker/Makro, Coca-Cola European Partners, Heineken UK, Diageo, Sky, EI Publican Partnerships, Admiral Taverns, Star Pubs & Bars, Punch Pubs & Co and Greene King.
