Four NITA Finalists for The Victoria Inn Team
Celebrating our people, our progress and our passion for hospitality
We’re incredibly proud to share some very exciting news from The Victoria Inn. Our team has secured four finalist places at the 2026 National Innovation and Training Awards (NITAs).
Congratulations to:-
Megan Kneebone – Nominated for Apprentice of the Year – Chloe is currently on her level 3 Hospitality Supervisor apprenticeship
Chloe Dillnutt – Nominated for Apprentice of the Year – Chloe is currently on her level 4 Hospitality Management apprenticeship
Jack Stevenson – Nominated for Rising Star – Jack is currently with team Vic on a 2 day a week Internship.
Mark Holden – Nominated for Sustainability Leader.
For us, these nominations are about much more than awards. They recognise the brilliant people behind The Vic and our continued commitment to developing careers, creating opportunities and finding better, more sustainable ways of running our pub.
Being recognised nationally is a huge moment for a family-run Cornish hospitality business, and particularly special because the nominations celebrate different members of our team and different areas of the work we care passionately about.
A team that keeps developing
Training and development have always been a big part of our culture.
We want hospitality to offer genuine career opportunities, whether someone is joining us for their first job, developing through an apprenticeship or taking the next step into management and leadership.
We’re also particularly proud of the work we’ve been doing to make hospitality more accessible and inclusive, including providing opportunities for young people with SEND to experience the workplace, develop confidence and demonstrate what they can achieve.
Our apprenticeship journey continues to grow too, including progression through hospitality qualifications and the Level 4 Hospitality Manager Apprenticeship.
Putting sustainability into everyday hospitality
Our sustainability journey is another important part of the recognition.
At The Vic, sustainability isn’t intended to be a one-off project. We’ve been working to make it part of everyday decision-making, looking at everything from energy consumption and LEDs to insulation, cellar efficiency, renewable energy and the longer-term journey towards a lower-carbon pub.
But the biggest difference often comes from lots of smaller changes and getting the whole team involved.
That philosophy has helped us continue to challenge ourselves, measure our impact and look for the next improvement rather than simply believing the job is finished.
Making a difference beyond the pub
We believe a good local should contribute to the community around it.
That same thinking extends beyond the doors of The Vic through our involvement in local community initiatives, education, skills development and the Kenwyn Community Fund, which supports projects making a difference to local people and organisations.
We’ve also been keen to share what we learn, particularly around sustainability, apprenticeships and developing the next generation of hospitality talent.
Because if an idea works for us and sharing it helps another business or another young person, its impact becomes considerably greater.
Proud of how far we’ve come
Having four NITA finalist places is something we are enormously proud of.
Awards are wonderful, but for us the real achievement is seeing people progress, watching young people discover opportunities in hospitality, finding new ways to reduce our environmental impact and continuing to be a pub that sits at the heart of its community.
Whatever happens at the finals, being recognised alongside some of the best people and businesses in our industry is already an achievement worth celebrating.
Most importantly, it belongs to our whole team.
Thank you to everyone who continues to work so hard, embrace new ideas, challenge us to do things better and make The Victoria Inn what it is.
We couldn’t be prouder.
Team Vic 💚
