Hayley-Doune Parker at The Wheatsheaf in Weedon has become the latest landlord to receive an Admiral Taverns Award in recognition of her years of service in the pub industry.

Hayley and her family have been at The Wheatsheaf for nine years, after Hayley followed her grandparents into a career in the trade.With five children of her own, Hayley has worked hard to create a family-friendly atmosphere at the pub.

She is now a well known member of the community and the Wheatsheaf has become increasingly popular with locals over the years.

If you’d like to establish a career in the pub industry, take a look at our pubs to let. 

Licensees can now keep customers up to speed on the sporting events being shown in their pubs by sending text alerts through Sky’s new website PreviewLive.

The Text Manager service helps licensees to build a customer database online and send customers texts inviting them to events in the pub – a great way to ensure a packed pub during the upcoming football season.

The website also includes an up-to-date fixtures and events section and licensees can log in to access marketing support and promotional material. They will also be able to view special videos, including training modules developed in conjunction with the BII, on the Pub Channel section.

Visit the PreviewLive website to find out more.  

A pair of licensees from Accrington who have raised thousands of pounds for charity with their customers' help have been rewarded with our Admiral Taverns Achievement Award.

Stuart Watt, business development manager for Admiral Taverns, was on hand to presented Mick and Lorraine of The Abbey Hotel, Accrington with their certificate at a special gathering at the pub, where the landlords handed over their latest fundraising cheque for £500 to the Broadfield Specialist School in Oswaldtwistle.

Mick and Lorraine will be donating another cheque to Macmillan Cancer Support in September. Keep up the good work, guys! 

Licensees looking for business advice can now use the Pub Assist website for free.

Following a successful first year, the site has scrapped its membership fee and will now provide free advice on everything from health and safety and stock-taking, to calculating gross profits, negotiating supplier deals and employment advice.

Landlords looking for a helping hand can also download free pub quizzes and explore a range of business guides.

Visit the Pub Assist website to find out more, and don’t forget to check out the 'Licensee Support' section on our website for further hints and tips.

A landlord from Stevenage is celebrating after becoming the latest recipient of our Admiral Taverns Achievement Award.

Harry Stokes and his wife Glynis have been at the Saint Nicholas pub in Stevenage for two years after Harry chose to leave behind his job running a chauffeur company to work in the pub trade.

One of the main changes the couple made was to turn the former pool room into a breakfast café, utilising this underused space to create extra income and provide a much needed service to the community.

If you’d like to swap sides of the bar like Harry, you can check out our pubs to let and also apply to become a licensee.

This month marks three years since the smoking ban was first introduced, and it seems the effects of the ban haven’t been as negative as first predicted.

In a recent survey by the Morning Advertiser, 51% of the landlords quizzed said that they opposed a total reversal of the ban, and 46% said the ban had actually had either no discernable effect or a positive effect on their business.

And, while three out of four landlords would support the introduction of a separate smoking room, the marked increase in the number of people choosing to give up the habit in light of the ban may well mean that there aren’t many customers who would wish to use it…

The Morning Advertiser has recently highlighted the fact that serving coffee could boost pub takings during quieter periods of the day.

They’ve also come up with some top tips for serving the perfect caffeine fix, from running special food offers alongside your coffee offerings to veering far away from the ‘carafe on a hotplate’ option.

We’d encourage landlords to think about expanding their drinks offerings if they haven’t already done so – after all, we do seem to be turning into a nation of coffee lovers.

For the full article and more tips of serving the perfect cup of coffee, visit the Morning Advertiser website.

October might seem like a long way away right now, but landlords are already preparing for British Pub Week.

The aim of the week long celebration, which takes place between 30 October and 6 November, is to encourage more people to visit pubs over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.

Organisers have come up with a list of suggested activities that pubs can stage each day, including pub games nights, quiz nights and real ale festival.

If landlords would like to get involved, the full list of activities suggestions can be found on the Morning Advertiser website.