Cornish pubs win BII Heart of the Community Award
The Victoria Inn in Roche, The Victoria Inn in Threemilestone and the Norway Inn in Truro, have all been awarded a Heart of the Community Award by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII). The recognition – which is being awarded to publicans across the UK – recognises the huge impact that licensees and their teams have had on our nation since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis.
All three sister pubs launched a new group takeaway and doorstep delivery service – Pub Grub – at the start of the first national lockdown in March. Pub Grub has been delivering hearty hot meals – and a selection of beers, wines and soft drinks – to communities across Cornwall ever since. Having delivered over 25,000 meals to those in need throughout the lockdown, the pubs have also recently invested in a fleet of new electric vehicles to enable them to keep the popular delivery service running. They have also started to offer full English breakfast deliveries for the second lockdown.
The pubs also offered free soft drinks and 40% discount to NHS key workers and stayed in touch with their regulars who would otherwise have felt isolated during lockdown. The Victoria Inn, in Threemilestone, also held a regular Facebook pub quiz which thousands took part in during lockdown. The pub quiz will be starting up again this month.
Mark Holden said: “Our fantastic team delivered over 1,500 main meals last week and delivered to over 265 homes on Sunday alone. From fish and chips, to a classic carvery, we’ve been continuing to serve up classic pub grub to our local communities throughout lockdown and beyond.
“Pubs are vital pillars of our communities and so many have provided an essential service this year, even when they’ve been closed. We’re proud say that we’re continuing to deliver pub grub to our communities and vulnerable people who are shielding, providing them with a much-needed sense of comfort and familiarity during these unprecedented times.
“Although we’ve added an online ordering system, it’s been important to us to have our ordering phoneline too. It makes us so proud hearing the phone ring and our team engaging in friendly conversations, which mean so much to our local communities during these tough times.
“I’d like to thank Datasharp, Ward William Associates, Ocean BMW and everybody who has helped enable our takeaway and delivery service to thrive, in what has been such a tough year for the hospitality sector.”
As the leading membership body for licensees and professionals working in the hospitality sector today, the BII has seen first-hand the incredible level of passion, commitment and grit that people at the heart of great pubs have shown this year. As the industry enters another period of uncertainty, the BII is celebrating all of those who have gone above and beyond for their communities; coming together and looking out for one another. Read more about Heart of the Community winners here: https://www.bii.org/events-awards/bii-heart-of-the-community-award/hotc-winners/