Best Bar None Scheme launched in Wrexham

The official launch of the Best Bar None (BBN) scheme 2019 in Wrexham took place yesterday at the town centre’s Nightsafe meeting.

Nightsafe is a partnership between licensees, North Wales Police and Wrexham Council working together to promote safety in the night time environment.

Best Bar None Wrexham is part of the national voluntary Best Bar Scheme for night time venues, designed to keep staff and customers safe while recognising excellence in their industry via an audit of over 120 criteria covering everything from responsible and safe management to customer care.

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Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety said, “Participation in the Best Bar None Scheme is voluntary and requires a great deal of commitment and hard work from all of the participants.

All pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants that enter the scheme should be commended for the work they are doing to make Wrexham a safe place”

Best Bar None is a national accreditation scheme supported by the Home Office and the drinks industry aimed primarily at promoting responsible management and operation of alcohol-licensed premises. It has now been adopted by 75 town and cities across the UK.

Alison Watkin, Community Safety Officer, Wrexham County Borough Council Said, “We are looking forward to receiving applications for the Wrexham BBN Awards 2019 and encourage licensed premises to participate, no matter how small or large they are – everyone is welcome and will be given support throughout the process. We really want partners in the night time environment to work together to demonstrate that Wrexham provides a fun and safe night out.”

Wrexham’s BBN scheme was presented with an award in February this year at the National BBN Awards 2018 held at the House of Lords

Pubs, clubs restaurants and bars within Wrexham will undergo an assessment period where they are judged against criteria and then given suggestions on how to improve or given the accreditation.

Participating licensees are encouraged to act responsibly and take pride in their premises and surroundings and, in doing so, put something back into their town and local communities. The scheme culminates annually in an awards ceremony, which celebrates the achievement of all of the premises.

The scheme is open to licensed premises, with 13 town centre venues participating last year.

All premises that enter the Best Bar None Awards Scheme are audited by trained assessors and, if successful, will become an accredited member of the scheme achieving either a Gold, Silver or Bronze award. The top premises are then put before an independent judging panel, who select the winners in each category.

Ann Williams, North Wales Police Eastern Licensing Officer said, “Prevention is key to creating a safe night time economy and Best Bar None provides us with an excellent opportunity for all partners and venues to work together to keep people safe. Wrexham BBN has already been recognised nationally for the initiatives and training delivered on vulnerability work which will continue, but I very much look forward to working with the trade this year on some of our new criteria focusing on Action Counters Terrorism Awareness and Knife Crime.”