Bravery & Meritorious Conduct Award for Chair of Liverpool Pubwatch

John Hughes, Chair of Liverpool Pubwatch, has received the Bravery & Meritorious Conduct Award in recognition of his exceptional efforts to reduce harm and improve safety within Liverpool’s night time economy.

John, who has served as Chair of Liverpool Pubwatch for 25 years, was honoured with the award sponsored by Licensing Connect. The accolade recognises individuals whose actions have directly saved lives or significantly reduced the risk of harm in the night-time environment.

National Pubwatch is a voluntary organisation, which supports over 800 Pubwatch schemes across the UK, and works to promote safe, secure and social drinking environments in all licensed premises throughout the UK.

John was recognised for his leadership in strengthening city centre cohesion through Pubwatch, regularly inviting key speakers, including senior police officials, council leaders, drug outreach teams and public health specialists, to support partnership working across the sector.

He also conducts regular late-night Saturday walks connecting local authorities, police, and premises to ensure Liverpool remains as safe as possible and continues to support the Purple Flag initiative.

He maintains strong engagement with the BID radio link system; ensuring that participation stays above 90%. His commitment to communication between businesses, police and taxi marshals has significantly enhanced public safety in the city.

Over the past year, John has installed seven bleed boxes in the city, each containing four bleed kits for life-saving responses. He has also facilitated the training of 1,000 people working in the night-time economy, on life-saving techniques, bleeding control, and CPR.

He has also partnered with a local company to develop an app for staff which is operating in 300 venues, enabling mandatory training and increasing safety awareness campaigns.

John Hughes said: “I am so happy to win this award especially on the back of Liverpool regaining its Purple Flag status for the 16th year.
“I have run the Pubwatch for 25 years in Liverpool City Centre and since setting up Liverpool Nightlife CIC nine years ago have been working really closely with the Council, Police, Liverpool BID Company and all the trade. So, this award is for everyone for the team effort.”

National Pubwatch chair Steve Baker, OBE, said: “John has shown exceptional dedication to Pubwatch and has made a significant contribution to improving safety across the city of Liverpool. It is a privilege to recognise his 25 years of hard work ensuring that people can enjoy a safe and enjoyable night out.”