Admiral Taverns has crowned the winner of its Community Pub of the Year Awards to recognise the efforts of its licensees going the extra mile for their communities.
Following a report from think-tank, Localis, finding that 75% of people felt the impact of pubs to community life to be positive, Admiral Taverns identified the importance of incentivising and rewarding licensees for creating thriving social hubs that support all aspects of local life and bring people together.
As a result, Admiral Taverns launched a competition across it’s leased and tenanted division in 2023 in search for the pubs going above and beyond for their communities. The winner of the competition stands to receive £500 credit on their trading account along with a £500 donation – in the pub’s name – to a charity of its choice, whilst the runner up receives £250 credit and a £250 donation to their choice of charity.
This year, The Old Kings Head in Worle was victorious thanks to its outstanding ongoing contribution to local life. Since taking over in 2019, the licensees – Glynn and Lindsey Smith – have raised an incredible total of over £21,000 for an array of charities and causes including Weston Hospice, Help for Heroes and British Heart Foundation. The couple has also invested in having a lifesaving defibrillator installed at the pub to ensure there’s one easily accessible to the public in the case of an emergency.
The licensees work tirelessly to cement The Old Kings Head at the heart of Worle and continue to sponsor and host numerous local sports teams. In addition, they have registered the pub as a ‘Community Living Room’ to provide those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis with a free, non-judgemental space to come together.
Most recently, Glynn took part in a 20-mile charity walk in Bristol, with four regular customers, raising £2,300 for The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation. The pub also hosts an annual summer festival, ‘Kings Fest’, in aid of the local foodbank. This year, the festival has taken place for one day during each bank holiday, with the final day happening on 25th August. At £5 per ticket, the community is invited to come along for a day of fantastic
live music performances from an array of local artists, with all proceeds donated to the local foodbank.
Over in Lochwinnoch, Scotland the Three Churches received the ‘Highly Commended’ award for its incredible donation of £7,000 to the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) following its annual music festival. Every year, the passionate licensees – Susan Busby and Tony Simpson – transforms the pub’s beer garden into a lively music festival for local residents to enjoy. Featuring live music, games, raffles and customised t-shirts available to purchase, every penny is donated to TCT.
Chris Jowsey, Chief Executive of Admiral Taverns, commented: “On behalf of myself, and the whole team at Admiral Taverns, I would like to thank Glynn, Lindsey, Susan and Tony for their incredible contributions to their local communities. I’m blown away by all the efforts of our licensees across the country, whether that is raising money for local charities or hosting coffee mornings for the elderly, they are always going above and beyond. At Admiral, we strongly believe that pubs are so much more than a place to drink and this stands testament to that. It’s wonderful to be able to recognise and show our appreciation for those that work tirelessly to support every aspect of community life.”
Glynn Smith, licensee at The Old King’s Head, said: “We’re always looking for ways to support our community so it’s a real honour to have received this award. We will be splitting our charity donation between the Stroke Association and Cancer Research UK which are two causes extremely close to our hearts. I’d like to extend our thanks to Admiral, our incredible team and of course our loyal customers for their ongoing support in making this all possible.”
Susan Busby, licensee at the Three Churches, added: “I am absolutely over the moon to have been given this award and can’t thank my team, customers and Admiral enough for their support. Pubs are such a vital part of their communities so it’s fantastic to have been recognised in this way and I can’t wait to continue doing what we do best at the Three Churches for years to come.”
