Bars, pubs and clubs in Canterbury have been given awards to recognise their work keeping people safe while they are out socialising.
The inaugural Best Bar None Awards took place at Kent Cricket Ground where a glittering award ceremony paid tribute the 19 venues that have achieved Best Bar None accreditation since it’s roll out in January. This places Canterbury as the leading location for accredited venues in Kent.
Best Bar None is an accreditation scheme that has been introduced by Kent Police, Canterbury City Council and Canterbury BID, following a nationwide model approved by the Home Office. The scheme provides businesses with an official, independent award that shows customers how hard they work to provide a safe and welcoming place to visit.
The awards ceremony was also an opportunity to award nine venues for their outstanding achievements in keeping our community safe. Awards were given to The Venue, Tokyo Tea Rooms, The Ballroom, The Lady Luck and The Dolphin, while staff from The Black Griffin, Citi Terrace and Club Chemistry were given individual awards.
Canterbury’s Street Pastors were also given an award for Outstanding Contribution to Night Time Economy at the event at The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury on Wednesday 15 March 2023.
Canterbury Licensing Officer PC Jim Gall said:
‘It was great to have partner agencies, local licensees and other organisations all together to share expertise and celebrate the work already done.
‘The Best Bar None scheme helps venues help us in keeping everyone safe when socialising in the city, particular focusing on preventing violence against women and girls.
‘I would like to thank and congratulate those venues whose work has been recognised, and urge any other pubs and bars not already involved to contact the Canterbury Community Safety Unit for details.’
Canterbury City Council’s Director of People and Place Suzi Wakeham said:
‘Our night time economy is bustling, vibrant and fun because we all work closely together and do our bit to make sure the city is safe and welcoming.
‘Together we focus on the potential for problems and put the right measures in place so they do not become a reality – prevention is way better than needing a cure.’
Lisa Carlson, CEO Canterbury BID said:
‘Canterbury has been the proud receiver of Purple Flag for 11 years, thanks to the existing partnership working between agencies, police and businesses. That has led us being in a really strong position to roll out Best Bar None, as you can see from 19 businesses accreditations within the first 3 months.
‘We were delighted to be able to dedicate an evening to showcasing the amazing work our businesses do to keep us safe, and the awards allowed them to be on the other side of the bar for a change.’
CLICK HERE to see full event photo album
The 19 venues to receive Best Bar None accreditation were:
The Ballroom, The Black Griffin, Club Chemistry, Citi Terrace, The Dolphin, The Lady Luck, McDonald’s, Kent County Cricket Club, Old City Bar, The Penny Theatre, The Seven Stars, The Lounge, The Shakespeare, The Thomas Ingoldsby (JD Wetherspoons), Tokyo Tea rooms, The Unicorn Inn, The West Gate Inn (JD Wetherspoons), Woody’s and The Venue.
And the following received awards:
- Best Venue Management – The Venue
- Best Staff Training & Care – Tokyo Tea Rooms
- Best Customer Safety & Welfare – The Ballroom
- Best Customer Experience – The Lady Luck
- Best Community Experience – The Dolphin
- Zero Tolerance Bystander Award – The Black Griffin
- Zero Tolerance Ask Angela Award – Citi Terrace
- Zero Tolerance Champion Award – Club Chemistry
- Outstanding Contribution to Night Time Economy Award – Street Pastors
Best Bar None Accreditation Overview:
The scheme, run through Kent Police and supported by Canterbury BID and Canterbury Community Safety Partnership provides accreditation to well-run pubs, bars, clubs and other businesses that serve alcohol with assessment against four themes:
- Venue management: assesses security measures and steps taken to reduce noise, litter and other effects the business may have
- Staff training and care: considers how staff are supported by the business to perform their role, develop and grow, and to protect their wellbeing
- Customer safety and welfare: reviews how well the venue takes care of its customers including preventing alcohol being sold to those under 18.
- Customer service and community: recognises that businesses work hard to provide a warm welcome to their customers and the communities they are part of.
Accreditation lasts for a year, and the assessment is regularly updated to ensure current priorities such as ASB and the safety of women and girls are included. Every accredited venue displays an in-date accreditation window sticker, ensuring customers know they are entering a safer venue plus a personalised report with advice and ideas about how to provide an even safer and more welcoming place for customers to have fun and socialise. Accredited venues will display the following sticker and the accreditation will last 12 months.
