Licensees Compete to be Best Bar None in Glasgow

Published: 18 April 2023

Anticipation is brewing as Glasgow's pubs, clubs and specialist entertainment venues get set for the city's Best Bar None (BBN) awards.

Licensees are urged to show their competitive spirit and see if they have what it takes to become the toast of the town by earning Gold, Silver or Bronze accolades. New entrants in particular are invited to give it a shot!

The Venue, Strathclyde University's Student Union, will host the registration event in Richmond Street on Wednesday, April 24th from 9am. Speakers will include Lise Fisher of Glasgow City Council, which runs BBN Glasgow, and BBN Scotland Development Officer, Mark Armstrong.

The BBN Glasgow awards recognise good practice and innovation amongst the city's licensed trade. Venues will be inspected by an independent assessor. They will be judged on their efforts around the Prevention of Crime & Disorder, Securing Public Safety, Prevention of Public Nuisance, Promotion of Public Health and the Protection of Children from Harm.

The results will be unveiled at a glitzy presentation ceremony later this year and premises which win the Overall Gold awards in each category, will go on to compete in the national awards.

Ms Fisher is hoping applications pour in this year.

She said: "Advance interest is really high this year, particularly from new applicants, which is exciting. 

"There is some outstanding work being done by the licensed trade in Glasgow and Best Bar None offers a valuable opportunity to share good practice, learn from industry peers and benefit from our free training sessions.

"The calibre of entrants in Glasgow's awards are always very high and we work with premises to continually improve practices. Glasgow venues always do well in the national awards too. This was especially so last year, when Glasgow premises lifted four out of nine national awards.

"We'd encourage venues old and new to come to the BBN Glasgow launch and find out how membership can help their business."

Best Bar None Glasgow has been running since 2005 and is delivered on behalf of Glasgow's Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Retailers Against Crime, Police Scotland and the Licensed Trade.

Members of BBN Glasgow benefit from regular training on topics such as stewarding, crime scene preservation, drug awareness, responsible drinking and recognising / protecting vulnerable people.

Licensees who are unable to attend the 2024 registration launch, can also apply online at BBN Glasgow Registration.