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A group photo of Pub Partners staff winning a award.

Night of Excellent 2025

 

ELEVEN PUBS AND FIVE LICENSEES TAKE HOME HONOURS AT NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS

 

Eleven pubs and five licensees have taken home honours at the Night of Excellence awards in a lavish ceremony and dinner held at the voco St. John's hotel in Solihull.

The awards, hosted by Greene King Pub Partners, celebrated the success of Greene King Pub Partners’ leased, tenanted and franchise licensees.

The awards were attended by hundreds of licensees from across the UK who work with Greene King Pub Partners, as well as leaders from across the hospitality and pub sectors, including Kate Nichols of UKHospitality, Emma McClarkin of the British Beer & Pub Association and Steve Alton of the British Institute of Innkeeping.

Comprising of 17 awards ranging from Community Pub of the Year to Pub Team of the Year – and an overall Pub of the Year award – entrants to the Night of Excellence awards go through a strict judging process including mystery visits in order to be crowned winners.

The Star in Godalming, Surrey was the overall winner of the Pub of the Year Award, also picking up  the Beer Pub of the Year award along the way.

Jane Waterman of The White Horse in Beyton, Suffolk was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie in recognition of more than 40 years operating the pub.

Brucan Pubs, the gastro pub business, won the Multiple Operator of the Year award.

Chris Windle, another Greene King Pub Partners multiple operator and franchisee took home the Franchisee of the Year award.

Claire Dimelow, licensee of The Norton Arms hotel near Runcorn won the Outstanding Contribution award in recognition of 20 years’ service running the pub.

Other winners from the night were:

  • The Downsman in Crawley, Sussex, which won Sports Pub of the Year in recognition of its unique sports zone.

     

  • Georgia Hodges of The Plough in Bicester, an Olive Tree Pub Company pub who won New Licensee of the Year.

     

  • The Rose & Crown in Thorpe, Surrey, part of Barons Pub Co, which won Pub Garden of the Year.

     

  • The Swan in Needham Market, Suffolk – a Hive Pub that won Community Pub of the Year.

     

  • The Guy Earl of Warwick in South East London, another Hive Pub which won Digital Pub of the Year for its innovative use of Tik Tok.

     

  • The Hallamshire Hotel in Sheffield, which won Pub Investment of the Year.

     

  • The Portland Arms in Cambridge, which wo Entertainment Pub of the Year.

     

  • The Red Lion in Milton Byran, Bedfordshire, which won Food Pub of the Year.

     

  • The Ty’r Winch in Cardiff, which won Pub Team of the Year.

     

  • The Crown in Framlingham, Suffolk, which won Sustainable Pub of the Year.

Dan Robinson, Managing Director, Greene King Pub Partners, said:

“A huge congratulations to all of this year’s Night of Excellence award winners, and a special shout out to The Star in Godalming for being crowned Pub of the Year!

“I continue to be blown away by the passion and dedication of our amazing Partners. This year, we received hundreds of outstanding entries yet again. Partnering with so many great operators across the UK made selecting the winners incredibly difficult. It’s a real privilege to call these operators our Partners and celebrate their achievements.”