The Bacchus is Best Bar None 2008
The Bacchus was named as the top nightspot in Newcastle for a safe and enjoyable drinking experience at the Best Bar None Awards 2008.The event was held at the Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel in Newcastle and organised by Safe Newcastle - the city’s community safety partnership and sponsored by global brand, Diageo.
The Best Bar None scheme aims to create a safer city and boost the night-time economy by rewarding and recognising the pubs, bars and clubs of Newcastle who are genuinely striving to reduce alcohol-related disorder and promote responsible drinking. Now in its third year, the scheme works in partnership with the licensed trade, the local authority and the police to ensure a safe environment for pub-goers to socialise in.
Seventy-one venues took part and they were assessed on how well they manage a range of issues including prevention of crime and disorder, drinks promotion, door policy, noise, finding drugs and underage drinking. Seventeen venues were shortlisted for awards due to their outstanding management of their licensed premises. They were visited by a panel of judges from Safe Newcastle’s partner organisations including Northumbria Police, Newcastle City Council, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and event backers Diageo to decide the winners.
In total 14 awards were handed out and the winners were:
Clubs
Gold Northumbria Students Union
Silver Buffalo Joes
Bronze Liquid & Envy
Pubs
Gold The Bacchus
Silver The Telegraph
Bronze Luckies
Bars
Gold The Centurion
Silver Shearer’s Bar
Bronze Martha’s Bar
Best Bar None Overall Winner - The Bacchus
Special recognition The New Three Mile Inn
The New Three Mile Inn was given a special recognition from the Best Bar None judges due to their exceptional commitment to their local community.
Metro Radio is a big supporter of the scheme and their listeners were given the chance to vote for their safest bar. Almost 9,000 votes were polled and the winners were:
Metro Listener’s Choice
Pub Osbornes
Club Sea
Bar Shearer’s Bar
Sponsor Chris Davies from Diageo said “We are proud to support the Best Bar None scheme in the vibrant city of Newcastle. The scheme does excellent work encouraging licensees to go beyond what is required by law to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for their customers and rewarding best practice. It is great that the police, health service providers, the council and the drinks and entertainment industry can come together in this way to work towards a better local environment for all.”
Chair of Safe Newcastle, Councillor Gareth Cooper said “The scheme shows the good partnership between the licensed industry and the relevant authorities. Having the backing of the bar owners and managers is key to the success of the scheme. By working together we can keep Newcastle as a world-class destination.”
Amongst the VIPs who attended the event were Chief Constable Mike Craik of Northumbria Police and Judith Million from Government Office North East. Guests at the glitzy event, hosted by local radio personalities Wayne and Mark Thorburn, were entertained by up and coming artist Time Daniel and X Factor finalist Rowetta and also participated in a charity auction chaired by comedian Brendan Healy raising money for Metro Radio’s Just for Kids charity.
Best Bar None is a Home Office backed national scheme, with Newcastle’s scheme being praised by the Government in the recent Evaluation of the Licensing Act 2003. Newcastle was the first to launch the scheme in the North East three years ago and is one of the top performing schemes nationally.
Safe Newcastle’s scheme has been gaining momentum since it was first launched in 2005. Backers of the initiative include key players in the licensed trade such as Newcastle City Council, Northumbria Police, Newcastle Pubwatch, Security Industry Authority, Diageo, Metro Radio, Newcastle Licensing Forum, NGI, Scottish and Newcastle and Government Office North East.