City Venues Prove They’re Best Bar None
More than 80 Glasgow pubs became the toast of the city when they received accolades at Glasgow’s Best Bar None Awards.
Clyde DJ Suzy McGuire hosted the ceremony at the Thistle Hotel to honour city venues which have adopted safety schemes such as fingerprint scanning to prevent underage drinkers entering bars, designated driver initiatives offering free soft drinks to those chauffeuring friends home and protection of vulnerable females using the Digital Radio Network.
The Best Bar None awards are sponsored by Diageo and recognise venues which demonstrate a focus on public safety and customer care. They are led by Glasgow Community & Safety Services (GCSS) and were developed in partnership with Strathclyde Police, the Scottish Late Night Operators Association, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and the Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Partnership.
Venues which entered the awards were inspected by Strathclyde Police’s Licensing Teams who judged them on criteria including Prevention of Crime and Disorder, Securing Public Safety, Prevention of Public Nuisance, Promotion of Public Health and Protection of Children from Harm.
Twenty-two venues won Gold awards, 41 venues received Silver awards and 16 received Bronze awards.
Overall gold awards were presented to the best venue in each category. They were received by Montford House in Kings Park (Standard Hours category), the Arches (Late Nite category) and the Gala Riverboat Casino (Specialist Entertainment category).
Five specialist awards were presented to Slouch ( Best Newcomer); Bar Home (Most Improved) Gavin McGreish of Campus (Most Outstanding Premises Manager); Gala Riverboat Casino (Night Radio Network Achievement Award) and O’Neills in Sauchiehall Street (Fire Awareness Award).
Councillor Alex Glass, Chair of Glasgow Community & Safety Services (GCSS), congratulated the winners on their achievements.
He said: “These awards celebrate the success of our night time economy and those involved in making it a pleasant experience for people in pubs and clubs throughout the city. Well done to everyone who has received an award and in particular to the overall winners. All their hard work to adopt measures and initiatives which improve the safety of customers is enhancing the enjoyment of visitors to the city centre.”
Chief Superintendent Bernie Higgins praised the efforts of licensees who earned awards.
He said: “Glasgow’s Licensed Trade Association is an important partner in helping to achieve our aim of making Glasgow an even greater city to live, work and socialise in.
“The Best Bar None scheme and the winners of the awards all demonstrate the commitment by all of us to achieve this.”
Campus on Sauchiehall Street recently introduced a new ID scanner that uses fingerprint technology to verify the age and identity of customers. The scanner allows people to register by providing a thumbprint and an ID document which proves age and identity. Once registered, customers need only produce their thumb for the scanner to gain entry to the clubs.
Venues including Walkabout and Revolution also operate a scheme which offers free soft drinks to designated drivers who are chauffeuring friends home.
The awards were sponsored by Diageo and Scottish outfitters MacGregor MacDuff supported the event by providing kilts for staff.
Details of all the winners can be found on the Safer Glasgow website www.saferglasgow.com