Pub is The Hub won the award for the Best Industry Initiative for Local Community Services Champions at the prestigious annual awards for the pub industry – The Publican Awards.
Held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 11th March 2013 and hosted by the comedian Rob Brydon, the awards are seen as the pub industry’s ‘Oscars’ and the pinnacle of achievement. John Longden, Chief Executive of Pub is The Hub and Terry Stork, East Anglia Advisor went on stage to collect the award in front of 1200 people which was sponsored by Carlsberg.
The last award of the evening was for the Outstanding Industry Contribution which was awarded to John Longden for his career in the industry spanning 42 years, the last eleven of which have been in setting up and running Pub is The Hub.
Rob Willock, group editor of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, said: “Congratulations to John on this well-deserved award. Pub is the Hub certainly comes under the umbrella of all that is good about the pub industry. It exists to help pubs help themselves by helping their local communities. It brings people together, through their local pub, to achieve common goals. It provides much-needed advice for those licensees who have a real need to diversify their offering. And it protects communities from the loss of essential and life-enhancing services. “
As he accepted his award John thanked the Prince of Wales and the Prince’s Countryside Fund, colleagues, industry supporters, the Big Lottery, the Welsh Government and the Government ending with: “I would like to thank all the great licensees that we have ever worked with – without them Pub is The Hub would not exist as it does today.”