Battle of the Bars - Best Bar None 2010 Finalists Announced

Newcastle nightlife venues are set to battle it out this weekend to win a place in the 2010 Best Bar None Awards. The finalists of Newcastle’s Best Bar None scheme have been revealed with some of the biggest players in the licensed industry set to battle it out between them. Mitchells and Butlers, Tokyo Industries, Sir John Fitzgerald’s and Inventive Leisure all have venues competing for the ultimate prize of Best Bar None Overall Winner.

Set up and organised by community safety partnership Safe Newcastle, Best Bar None assesses pubs, bars and clubs on the policies and procedures put in place to reduce alcohol related disorder and promote responsible drinking. Those that meet the stringent standards are then awarded accredited status. The top scoring venues in each of the categories of Pub, Bar, Local Pub and Club were shortlisted as finalists. 73 venues have been accredited, with the finalists whittled down to 26.

The panel of judges were fellow peers from the leisure industry: Lizzy Kelk from Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin, Chris Jowsey of Heineken UK, Jimmy Halsius of Diageo and Paul Szomoru from Tourism Tyne and Wear. The judges looked at their policies and procedures and why the venues think they should be crowned best Bar None.

Last year The Telegraph impressed the judges so much that they took home the top prize of Best Bar None Overall Winner and Gold Award for the best pub category. They are back in the running this year after winning a place in the final shortlist for Best Pub. David Collins, owner of the pub said “I’m very excited about this year’s awards. There’s such a diverse mix of venues and operators in the shortlist that it’s impossible to predict which ones are going to take the top prizes.”

First time entrant, The Gosforth Hotel, managed by Kerry Crawford, made it to the shortlist. Kerry told us “I am absolutely delighted that The Gosforth Hotel has been chosen as a finalist in this year’s Best Pub category. We’ve worked really hard to make this place a safe and enjoyable pub for both customers and staff.”

North East bar operator, Sir John Fitzgerald’s, have an impressive four premises in this year’s shortlist. Sean Berry, Manager of Fitzgerald’s said: “To have four of our premises into the final stage of the competition is a great achievement for Sir John Fitzgerald’s. We believe that it is our duty as licensees to focus on public safety and responsible drinking. Newcastle is a great city and the number of venues recognised by the scheme reflects this.”

Chief Superintendent Graham Smith, Vice-Chair of Safe Newcastle, said: "Best Bar None allows ourselves and our partners to work in effective partnership with the licensed trade and at the same time recognise the responsible operators who have embraced what the scheme strives to achieve.

"It promotes responsible drinking and helps us to achieve an environment where people can enjoy safely what Newcastle has to offer. We're working hard to encourage people to enjoy a safe night out in Newcastle and bars and clubs have a vital role to play in that. We'll continue working together with them and our partners to make the city an even safer place to be."

Stephen Savage, Director of Regulatory Services and Public Protection at Newcastle City Council added: “It’s a credit to our finalists that they have been shortlisted. The standard of premises in the city is excellent with 73 being accredited, but it’s not about which premises win but rather celebrating the nightlife of the city which is second to none in the UK and Europe.”

The accreditation is sponsored by Diageo and supported by Metro Radio. The winners will be announced at the glitzy awards ceremony on 16 May at the Banqueting Suite, Civic Centre, where they will also help raise money for Metro Radio’s Cash For Kids charity.

Hosting the event is Anna Foster from Metro Radio. She said “I’m very excited about this years awards. There’s a real competition between the shortlisted premises who all want to take home the top awards. To find out the winners, we’ll have to wait for the Awards Ceremony to find out – it will be very exciting!”

The finalists this year are:

Club Category:
Northumbria University, Tiger Tiger, Tup Tup Palace, Digital, Liquid and Envy

Pub Category:
The Gosforth Hotel, The Hotspur, Goose, The Bacchus, Fitzgeralds, Babylon, The Telegraph, Red House/Bob Trollops

Local Pub Category:
The New Three Mile Inn, The Denton, Osbornes, The Chillingham Arms, The New Bridge

Bar Category:
Northumbria University, Fluid Bar and Kitchen, Mushroom, Long Bar, Clear Bar, Revolution, Pitcher and Piano