The Festing pub in Southsea won the overall award in the Portsmouth Best Bar None 2010 competition for its efforts in ensuring customer safety and preventing crime and disorder. The competition, run by the Safer Portsmouth Partnership, recognizes venues that demonstrate good practices around responsible alcohol sales and community engagement. Other winners included Slug & Lettuce for best bar and The Rifle Club for best independent establishment. The awards ceremony celebrated venues that work to achieve the goals of reducing crime, disorder, and substance misuse in Portsmouth.

1. 2 September 2010
Ref: 45/2010
Media Release
The Festing runs the Best – Bar None
The search has ended to find the City’s best venues for safe and enjoyable
socialising.
Led by the Safer Portsmouth Partnership, the Portsmouth Best Bar None
Scheme held its award ceremony last night at the New Theatre Royal.
Hosted by Galaxy FM’s Ben Glover the ceremony awarded formal
accreditation to those venues that were able to demonstrate considerable
efforts to assure customer safety, the prevention of crime, noise, disturbance
and the misuse of alcohol and other substances - all objectives under the
licensing act.
The overall winner of the Portsmouth Best Bar None 2010 went to The
Festing, on Festing Road, Southsea.
The Festing was chosen for a number of reasons including:
• It has facilities to record when a member of staff has refused a sale on the
grounds of age or drunkenness. This aids record keeping and due
diligence purposes.
• The Manager always ensures that at least one male is on duty to deal with
any issues as there are no doorstaff.
• It has very good relationships with neighbouring businesses and is
involved in tackling proxy sales.
• It has a strict policy regarding the sale of alcohol to underage drinkers.
E.g. if someone buys two drinks, manager asks for 2 sets of photographic
I.D. to be produced.
Other winners were as follows:
Best Bar = Slug & Lettuce, on Palmeston Road, Southsea
Runner Up = Ha Ha Bar & Grill, Gunwharf
Best Pub = The Festing, on Festing Road, Southsea
Runner Up = Goose at the V & A, on Albert Road, Southsea

2. Best Independent Establishment = The Rifle Club, Goldsmith Avenue,
Southsea
Runner Up = The Waterhole Bar (Students Union), on Cambridge Road
Best Club = Marthas, on Commercial Road
Runner Up = Tiger Tiger, Gunwharf
The News Readers Choice = The Phoenix, on Duncan Road, Southsea
Portsmouth Business Crime Reduction Partnership winners:
Individual Contribution Award = Ian Cozens at Tiger Tiger, Gunwharf
Business Award for Outstanding Partnership Contribution = Barry Kewell
at the Northcote Hotel,
David Williams, Chief Executive of Portsmouth City Council and Chair of the
Safer Portsmouth Partnership said: “The night time economy is important to
Portsmouth as it is worth over £85m to the city’s economy and employs
thousands of people.
The Safer Portsmouth Partnership is the coming together of Portsmouth
Services who are working together to achieve long term sustainable
reductions in crime, disorder and substance misuse. Best Bar None is seen
as one of the tools to achieve these priorities with assessors from the police,
the fire service, the ambulance service and the council taking part.
This year we have had a good range of premises apply to the scheme, from
big corporate branded bars to local community pubs. The assessments have
shown that there really are some excellent examples of good practice and
partnership working within the licensed premises in Portsmouth. Through
actions like these licensed premises in Portsmouth have demonstrated their
commitment to the local community that they serve”.
Bill Dearsley, Chair of Portsmouth City Pubwatch said: “Portsmouth City
Pubwatch is pleased to give it's full support to the Portsmouth Best Bar None
awards. With categories including pub, bar, club and independent, there has
been an opportunity for every licensee to showcase the good practice, warm
welcome and secure environment they provide for their customers”
Ends
About Safer Portsmouth Partnership
Safer Portsmouth Partnership is a group of statutory and voluntary community
group that meet regularly and work together to reduce crime, substance
misuse and the fear of crime. Their goal is to make Portsmouth a safe place
to live, work and visit.

3. For interviews with the winners and general media enquiries:
krista.ford@portsmouthcc.gov.uk, Communications Officer Safer Portsmouth
Partnership
Tel: 023 92834823 Email: krista.ford@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
or
Heather-Fiona Egan, Communications Officer, Safer Portsmouth Partnership
Tel: 023 9284 1723 Email: heather-fiona.egan@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
mailto:heather-fiona.egan@portsmouthcc.gov.uk