TEAM VIC NEWS

Three Cornish pubs named among UK’s top apprenticeship employers

12^th July 2023 – Cornwall-based publicans, Mark Holden and Justin Barnett, have been featured among the Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers 2023. Their business, Inn Cornwall, runs three pubs within St Austell Brewery’s tenanted estate: the Norway Inn (Perranworthal), the Victoria Inn (Roche), and the Victoria Inn (Threemilestone).

Inn Cornwall has now been listed 2 years in a row and is the only hospitality business to be featured in the SME top 50. In 2022, they were ranked number 47 and this year they placed higher at number 32.

Mark and Justin who are South West apprenticeship ambassadors have welcomed 17 apprentices over 2023/23. Covering level 2 & 3 front of house & chef apprenticeships.

The list is produced by the Department of Education and celebrates England’s outstanding small and medium sized apprenticeship employers. It recognises their commitment to creating new opportunities, the diversity of their apprentices, and the number of apprenticeships who have successfully achieved their apprenticeships.

Mark Holden and Justin Barnett, Directors, Inn Cornwall said: “We really value the importance of apprenticeships. These schemes play a huge part in levelling up the Cornish communities that we operate in and increasing social mobility. The progression and development of many of our apprentices are testament to that.”

“We’re delighted to have climbed 15 places to number 32 this year and very proud to be the only hospitality business featured this year’s top 50. A special thanks to our amazing apprentices & their work mentors, for all their hard work, and to Truro & Cornwall College for the support provided by their business team and lecturers and to the BiiAB who are our chosen end point assessment provider. There is a huge amount of work that goes on in the background to help with career progression and promoting the advantages of an apprenticeship scheme and we are all hugely proud to get this recognition.”

Team members have been invited to a special lunch reception Hosted by Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education, at the House of Commons in September.

Clive Greene, Head of Tenanted Operations, St Austell Brewery, said: “We’re all very proud to see Mark and Justin building on their previous success, and receiving the recognition they deserve for creating so many opportunities for people pursuing a career in hospitality.

“As a business we are passionate about investing in and championing fresh talent within our local communities and people looking to map out their careers. Mark and Justin’s work over the years has been the epitome of this.”

If anyone is interested in an apprenticeship or would like more information then they are welcome to visit one of their pubs and talk to the team or e-mail apprenticeship@inncornwall.co.uk

For more information visit: www.topapprenticeshipemployers.co.uk

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/

PUB GRUB INVESTS IN A GREENER FUTURE

Pub Grub – the Cornwall-based takeaway and doorstep delivery service – has purchased three 100% electric vehicles. New charging stations have also been installed at the group of pubs that offer the service – the Victoria Inn in Roche, the Victoria Inn in Threemilestone and Perranworthal’s Norway Inn.

Pub Grub has been delivering hearty hot meals – and a selection of beers and wines – to people’s homes, since the start of lockdown. To help meet ongoing demand for the service, Pub Grub has invested in a greener future and purchased three Renault ZOEs – recently named the Best Small Electric Car 2020.

Mark Holden, Pub Grub founder said: “We’re delighted to introduce our three new recruits – our Renault ZOEs. Not only will these new vehicles help us to become more environmentally friendly, they are also a future-looking investment in our takeaway and delivery service. It’s important that we’re able to continue adapting to changing covid-19 regulations and helping those in our community who may be shielding or isolating.

“We have also invested in new EV charging stations – for all three of our pubs – which we hope will be helpful for our guests and local communities, when they visit us.”

Jeff Burns, Sales Executive, Dales Renault & Dacia said: “We were delighted to be approached by Pub Grub for help and advice on using electric vehicles for their new delivery service. To see them adapting their business in these changing times, and being able to provide a mobile food delivery service to those in need, is fantastic. Their idea to use vehicles that are so environmentally friendly and efficient to run is commendable

“The Renault ZOE is class-leading in both terms of costs and range. The car is capable of an all-electric range of up to 245 miles on a single charge. It also costs less than 3p per mile to run.

“It’s little surprise that electric vehicles are the only segment that is growing in the motor industry. Traditionally year-on-year sales have been doubling but this year has seen unprecedented growth across Europe. Forecasts are continuing to look strong as individuals and businesses look to the future and invest in more sustainable solutions, to help cut carbon emissions.”

Over 800 bottles of soft drink donated to Royal Cornwall Hospital

This week, St Austell Brewery joined forces with takeaway and delivery service, Pub Grub – based at the Victoria Inn in Threemilestone – to deliver over 800 bottles of soft drink to Royal Cornwall Hospital.

The drinks were donated free of charge, for NHS workers, by St Austell Brewery. They were delivered to the Knowledge Spa at Treliske by Pub Grub, a new temporary service that has been set up by one of the brewery’s tenancies – the Victoria Inn, Threemilestone – until pubs reopen.

Steve Worrall, managing director of St Austell Brewery’s pubs, inns and hotels said: “We were delighted to donate our stock to the hardworking staff at Royal Cornwall Hospital – it’s the least we can do for our friends at the hospital. Thanks to our tenants at the Victoria Inn and the sponsors of their Pub Grub service – Ocean BMW and Ward Williams Associations – for making this delivery possible.”

Pub Grub founder and Victoria Inn tenant, Mark Holden says: “I’m so proud of our entire team for their continued commitment and hard work, in making our new service possible. Pubs might be closed but we’re very proud to be able to do our bit during these difficult times – delivering a little bit of comfort to our local community and key workers. NHS staff can use their ID to claim 40% discount on takeaways from the pub too.

He continues: “We were enormously proud to help the brewery by delivering 70 cases of soft drinks to the Knowledge Spa this week. I’d like to thank Ocean BMW and Ward Williams Associations, who have lent us three BMW i3 electric cars, to help us with our service.

As well as Threemilestone’s Victoria Inn, Pub Grub is also available to order from the Victoria Inn in Roche, and the Norway Inn in Perranworthal – offering local communities hot food deliveries, and a selection of beers and wines, to enjoy at home. To view the menu visit www.deliverpubgrub.co.uk. To make an order email order@deliverpubgrub.co.uk or phone 01872 309 348.

Last month, St Austell Brewery announced that is providing NHS hospital workers free-of-charge accommodation at its 33-bedroom hotel in Truro, throughout the Coronavirus crisis. The County Arms which is a three-minute drive from the Royal Cornwall Hospital, has been made available to the NHS procurement team to allocate bedrooms to the many doctors and nurses who are working around the clock to treat patients. The Brewery is also offering any hospital staff free use of the hotel’s car park, which is on a direct bus route to the hospital.

Over 800 bottles of soft drink donated to Royal Cornwall Hospital

This week, St Austell Brewery joined forces with takeaway and delivery service, Pub Grub – based at the Victoria Inn in Threemilestone – to deliver over 800 bottles of soft drink to Royal Cornwall Hospital.

The drinks were donated free of charge, for NHS workers, by St Austell Brewery. They were delivered to the Knowledge Spa at Treliske by Pub Grub, a new temporary service that has been set up by one of the brewery’s tenancies – the Victoria Inn, Threemilestone – until pubs reopen.

Steve Worrall, managing director of St Austell Brewery’s pubs, inns and hotels said: “We were delighted to donate our stock to the hardworking staff at Royal Cornwall Hospital – it’s the least we can do for our friends at the hospital. Thanks to our tenants at the Victoria Inn and the sponsors of their Pub Grub service – Ocean BMW and Ward Williams Associations – for making this delivery possible.”

Pub Grub founder and Victoria Inn tenant, Mark Holden says: “I’m so proud of our entire team for their continued commitment and hard work, in making our new service possible. Pubs might be closed but we’re very proud to be able to do our bit during these difficult times – delivering a little bit of comfort to our local community and key workers. NHS staff can use their ID to claim 40% discount on takeaways from the pub too.

He continues: “We were enormously proud to help the brewery by delivering 70 cases of soft drinks to the Knowledge Spa this week. I’d like to thank Ocean BMW and Ward Williams Associations, who have lent us three BMW i3 electric cars, to help us with our service.

As well as Threemilestone’s Victoria Inn, Pub Grub is also available to order from the Victoria Inn in Roche, and the Norway Inn in Perranworthal – offering local communities hot food deliveries, and a selection of beers and wines, to enjoy at home. To view the menu visit www.deliverpubgrub.co.uk. To make an order email order@deliverpubgrub.co.uk or phone 01872 309 348.

Last month, St Austell Brewery announced that is providing NHS hospital workers free-of-charge accommodation at its 33-bedroom hotel in Truro, throughout the Coronavirus crisis. The County Arms which is a three-minute drive from the Royal Cornwall Hospital, has been made available to the NHS procurement team to allocate bedrooms to the many doctors and nurses who are working around the clock to treat patients. The Brewery is also offering any hospital staff free use of the hotel’s car park, which is on a direct bus route to the hospital.

NEWS NOV 2017 – AWARD WINNING TEAM

Mark Holden and Justin Barnett from the Victoria Inns at Threemilestone and Roche are celebrating this week, having picked up top awards both locally and nationally for their training programs designed to give young people successful starts in the hospitality business.

Not content with picking up Employer of the Year (SME) at the recent Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards, Mark and Justin were also voted Licensee Trainer of the Year at the prestigious British Institute of Innkeepers’ (BII) National Innovation in Training Awards (NITAs), praised by top industry judges for their ‘innovation in creating an individual programme and particularly on their personal style in coaching and motivation.’

Delighted to be picking up both awards with team members, Mark Holden commented, “Obviously, this is a fantastic reward for all the hard work that our teams put in to make our training second to none in Cornwall, but to have our programs recognised nationally is testament to the wider efforts we all make in conjunction with schools and colleges, especially Truro College for the service provided by their business team and the lecturers and support team in their hospitality department.

“It’s great to see Cornwall leading the way in industry training, with St Austell Brewery picking up two awards at the NITAs as well. The truth is out there –  hospitality is a great career path, especially now in the South West and demand has never been so high for jobs with such a diverse skill range – you really can live, work and love Cornwall all year round!”

Now in its third year, the Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards is well established as one of the leading training awards in the South West. Hosted by Truro and Penwith College the awards celebrate Apprentices and Employers that are demonstrating outstanding achievement and commitment to Apprenticeships.

The BII NITAs are a national awards program celebrating the very best in training excellence and innovation within the licensed industry. The range of NITA award categories is designed to showcase both individuals and businesses operating in today’s licensed retail sector who demonstrate that they are truly putting their people first, with innovative training programs that encourage long-term careers in the sector.

The judging process is the most rigorous of its kind, and following an extremely high standard of written entries received by the BII this year, finalists were chosen to attend an assessment day. Here, they were asked to present in person to a panel of independent industry professionals and sponsors, followed by an in-depth interview.

The BII’s CEO Mike Clist said: “The NITAs are a celebration of the most successful individuals and businesses in the licensed retail market today. Our finalists have shown that they value, support and champion their people by continuing to invest in and develop their training programs. It’s vital that we recognise, reward and share their successes so that we can encourage further innovation in our fantastic industry for years to come.”

Victoria Inn crowns ‘perfect’ 2017 with new year accolades.

The Victoria Inn at Threemilestone has kicked off 2018 in award-winning style, with publicans Justin Barnett and Mark Holden and the team being voted Tenants of the Year at the prestigious St Austell Brewery Estate Awards, as well as picking up the Outstanding Apprentice Employer Award from Truro and Penwith College, rounding off what Mark Holden called a ‘perfect’ year for the business.

“Last year was an incredible one for us and winning Employer of the Year (SME) at the Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards as well as picking up the National Innovation in Training Award (NITA) for our training programmes in December made it pretty much perfect. To start 2018 with these two incredible awards is pretty much the icing on the cake for us.”

St Austell Brewery’s Estate Awards are an annual celebration of excellence across its 178-strong estate of South West pubs, inns and hotels. Mark and Justin were praised by Retail Director Steve Worrall at the awards ceremony for the quality and of the training programmes they offer to their staff as well as the consistency of the customer service offered by their teams across both the Victoria Inn at Threemilestone and at Roche.

The quality of the training offered to apprenticeships was also recognised by Truro and Penwith College, who accorded Mark and Justin Outstanding Apprentice Employer status, one of only 21 businesses in Cornwall to be awarded the accolade.

The accreditation judged local businesses against a set of stringent criteria, including the quality of the coaching and mentoring offered to apprentices, with The Victoria Inn passing each with flying colours.

Mark and Justin, who have a long history of building successful pub teams are delighted are delighted with the new accolades, as Mark admits, “It’s a great honour to be recognised for the hard work our team puts in and it is a credit to our associates at both The Victoria Inn in Threemilestone and The Victoria Inn in Roche who are so individually and as a team motivated to developing each others’ skills and knowledge.

“We try and encourage them to see this industry as a great career opportunity and many are aspiring to achieve their long-term goals. We just do whatever we can to support them on that journey.

“We have ten of our team undertaking different levels of apprenticeship training this year alongside the day to day operations and they are all excited by the educational challenges ahead of them. We are so very proud of what they have all achieved already.”

At the end of 2017 the team were also recognised by the industry nationwide picking up The National Innovation & Trainer Awards (NITA’s) – Trainer of the Year and prior to that, Employers of the Year at The Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards.

For more information about Truro and Penwith apprenticeship schemes, visit www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/apprenticeships. For more information about training opportunities at the Victoria Inn, visit www.thevicinn.com.

Quality training and great customer care – the foundations for success at the Victoria Inns.

Mark Holden and Justin Barnett and their teams from the Victoria Inns Threemilestone and Roche have a lot to celebrate, having picked up top awards both locally and nationally for their training programs designed to give young people successful starts in the hospitality business and for the quality of their customer care and service.

Not content with picking up Employer of the Year (SME) at the Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards last year, Mark and Justin were also voted Licensee Trainer of the Year at the prestigious British Institute of Innkeepers’ (BII) National Innovation in Training Awards (NITAs), praised by top industry judges for their ‘innovation in creating an individual programme and particularly on their personal style in coaching and motivation.’

Delighted to be picking up both awards with team members, Mark Holden said, “Obviously, this is a fantastic reward for all the hard work that our teams put in to make our training second to none in Cornwall, but to have our programs recognised nationally is testament to the wider efforts we all make in conjunction with schools and colleges, especially Truro College for the service provided by their business team and the lecturers and support team in their hospitality department.”

Rounding off what Mark called a ‘perfect’ year for the business, 2018 has started off in a similar vein, with the quality of the customer care demonstrated by both teams rewarded by picking up Tenants of the Year at the prestigious St Austell Brewery Estate Awards in January.

Followed closely by acclaim from Truro & Penwith College by being voted Outstanding Apprentice Employer, Mark is happy to share his and Justin’s accolades with the entire teams, adding, “It’s a great honour to be recognised for the hard work everyone at our pubs puts in and it is a credit to our associates at both The Victoria Inn in Threemilestone and The Victoria Inn in Roche who are so individually and as a team motivated to developing each others’ skills and knowledge.

“We have ten of our team undertaking different levels of apprenticeship training this year alongside the day to day operations and they are all excited by the educational challenges ahead of them. We are so very proud of what they have all achieved already.”

For more information about the award-winning Victoria Inn or to make bookings, visit www.thevicinn.com.

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Victoria Inn announced British Institute of Innkeeping Licensee of the Year 2018 Semi-Finalist.

Landlords Mark Holden and Justin Barnett from the Victoria Inn at Threemilestone have been announced as semi-finalists for this year’s prestigious Licensee of the Year competition run by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), the leading professional body representing the UK’s licensees.

Sponsored by Sky, the Licensee of the Year competition is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual pub operators in the U.K; a longstanding award that has been held annually for over 20 years, won in 2017 by Rob and Lucy Brewer from St Austell Brewery’s Rashleigh Arms in Charlestown.

Delighted to have been included in the final twelve, Victoria Inn landlord Mark Holden commented, “This is such an honour for both myself and Justin, who has operated some of Truro’s highest profile venues over the past 20 years.  It’s testament to the hard work and dedication our team puts into The Victoria, which has continued to grow over the past 8 years since we took it on.

“It’s especially pleasing to score 100% in the mystery shopper round which helped us through to this stage, an amazing achievement by our team. Justin, myself and Team Vic are constantly working on ways to improve The Victoria and are looking forward to our judging visit in the next few weeks.”

The Victoria is one of three St Austell Brewery pubs to have made it through to the semi finals of the national competition, with The Ship at Pentewan and the Polgooth Inn also in contention for a final spot alongside the Halfway House at Polbathic. As Justin added, “It’s a particularly proud moment to be joined in the Semi-Final by so many Cornish businesses which highlights what great pubs we have in the South-West.”

Selected from over 200 entrants, the final twelve include licensees from across the breadth of the UK, from many different types of pubs. Judges Sue Allen, BII Director of Commercial and Membership and Chief Judge and previous LOYA winner, Ashley McCarthy will now visit and judge these pubs in person, conducting in depth interviews.

The 2018 Licensee of the Year semi-finalists are as follows:

Ashley McCarthy commented: “Every year, the entrants continue to raise the bar, and 2018 is no exception. It has been really tough to decide on the final twelve, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing these pubs in person and getting to know the semi-finalists”.

David Rey, managing director of Sky Business, said: “We sponsor the BII Licensee of the Year Award because we recognise the importance of rewarding outstanding licensees for the tireless work they do to support the on-trade. Congratulations to all those who have been nominated as semi-finalists.”

Once they have completed their tour of the semi-finalists’ pubs, the judges will have the difficult task of whittling them down to the six finalists, who will be put through their paces by a panel of industry experts in three areas: Marketing & Business Development, Financial Awareness and People Development.