Staff from Tinos celebrate their win at last year;s awards for restaurant of the year

An awards ceremony recognising those who make the Preston nightlife great takes place in early December.

More than 70 venues and individuals are competing across 13 categories including best pub, club of the year and manager of the year.

Advertisements

BBC Radio Lancashire DJ John Gillmore and former Big Brother contestant Luke Marsden are to host the Alive After Five Awards bash.

Nearly 32,000 votes have been cast by the Preston public to help pick the winners from 233 nominees.

The finalists in categories such as pub of the year now go through to be mystery-shopped for some categories by organisers Preston Business Improvement District.

BID spokesman Mark Whittle said the awards were part of a push to drive up standards across the night-time economy following Preston’s success in retaining its Purple Flag accreditation for the fourth time.

He said: “The success of Preston’s Purple Flag status has been about working together and now we want to celebrate what we have achieved.

“Preston is still the only place in Lancashire to hold the coveted title, which sees us in the same club as huge cities such as Manchester, Oxford and Birmingham, something our neighbours can’t shout about”.

“The fact the individual winners have been selected by a public vote mean the awards take on extra significance.

“All businesses thrive on a bit of competition and I am sure these awards will bring out the best in our night time economy, there is a real excitement amongst the venues.”

Last year’s awards took place at the now closed down Frog and Bucket comedy club, with Evoque stepping in to host this year’s awards on Tuesday 2 December.

Full list of finalists

Bartender of the Year

Shaun Thomas, Forum
Lewis Gorse, Evoque
Leah Owens, Popworld
Liz Duxbury, Golden Cross
Sarah Hobson, The Adelphi
Lauren Nutten, MACs

Waiter/Waitress of the Year

Daniella Helm, Baluga
Holly Taylor, The Adelphi
Ash Ahmed, Dilshad
Sophie Prytaharch, Evoque
Luzia Woods, Heathcotes
Lesley Vann, The Greyfriar

Manager of the Year

Roxanne Flynn, Korova
Aurelien Baraffe, Forum
Andy Davies, MACs
Guilio Bragagnini, Stratos
Sharon Duxbury, Golden Cross
Leigh Sweetmen, Evoque

Entertainer of the Year

Nick Coulson, Evoque
Team, Popworld
Luke Wilson, MACs
Stephen Kershaw, The Adelphi
Lee Watson, Cameo and Evoque
DJ Simba Selecta, Loftys

Advertisements

Security Team of the Year

Cameo & Vinyl
Blitz
The Adelphi
MACs
Popworld
Evoque

Restaurant of the Year

Nandos
EastZEast
Moka
The Cafe Bar
Tiggis
Angelos

Entertainment Venue of the Year

The Adelphi
Popworld
Stanley Arms
Stratos
Rift & Co
Evoque

Pub of the Year

Stanley Arms
Corn Exchange
The Adelphi
Ships & Giggles
Roper Hall
Golden Cross

Club of the Year

Evoque
Popworld
Loftys
Cameo & Vinyl
MACs
Baluga

Outstanding Customer Service Awards

Natalie Pendrak, Forum
Kelsie Humphrey, The Adelphi
Samuel White, Popworld
Team, Evoque
Team, Tinos
Liz Duxbury, Golden Cross

Outstanding Achievement Award

Kirsty Hodgeon, Stanley Arms and Market Tavern
Ron Fitzpatrick, Dog and Partridge
Amy Middleton, The Adelphi
Team, Evoque
Team, Hartleys
Team, Golden Cross

Best Event or Regular Night

Popshots, Popworld
Studio Saturdays, EVoque
Farm, Glovers
Three In A Bed, Ships and Giggles MACs
Northern South Saturdays, The Stanley Arms
Fridays, The Attic

Bar of the Year

Beachcomber
MACs
Stratos
Kuckoo
Forum
Baluga

Who do you think should win? Are you a finalist? Let us know in the comments below