Budding landlords up and down the UK will be given the chance to discover what it takes to be part of the pub trade as Admiral Taverns hits the road for a series of open days throughout January and February.

The Admiral team will be visiting Maidstone, Bolton, London, Cardiff and Telford over the next couple of months.

Business Development Managers will be on hand to provide information about what support is available to both industry newcomers and people who already have pub experience.

For more information, visit the Events section of our website or contact Admiral Taverns’ recruitment team on 0845 070 8950.

New landlords Rod Smith and Brenda Davidson of the Brewery Tavern in Oldham, who have dedicated considerable time and effort to raising funds for a popular local charity, have become the latest recipients of an Achievement Award.

They have raised over £1,300 for local charity Pennine Pen Animal Rescue in the last three months by regularly running events like drag nights, raffles and tombola. The pair, who took over the pub in September, also donate to the charity from their food profits and are planning another fundraising event on Sunday 16th January to coincide with Brenda’s birthday.

Rod and Brenda’s fun loving approach to running the Brewery Tavern has established the pub as the hub of the community, and has also seen them make a valuable contribution to a worthy charity.

If you think you have the personality and drive to run a successful pub, take a look at our pubs to let or contact our recruitment team. 

New landlord Martin Evans of the Hand & Dagger in Kirkham and his business partner Steve Morgan have been awarded an Admiral Taverns Achievement Award for giving their pub a new lease of life.

Martin and Steve, who have been at the pub for the last three months, have 38 years’ experience in the hotel and catering industry between them, and they’ve used this expertise to provide customers at the pub with quality food and a warm welcome.

Martin said: “We’ve tried to create an attractive food offering that will bring in customers from far and wide, but we also want to look after the local community, so we’ve kept the pool table and dart board and hold weekly quiz nights.”

We’re always on the look out for people like Martin and Steve who have the personality and drive to run a successful pub - to find out more, view our pubs to let or contact our recruitment team.

A trio of Admiral landlords are looking to pass their much loved local on to a budding publican.

Stewart Ellams and Jamie and Jackie Williams have been running The Horseshoe Inn, Llanymynech, Powys on a temporary basis alongside their Achievement Award-winning pub, The White Horse in Churton, for several months (you can read about their award win in a previous blog).

Stewart says: “The Horseshoe Inn really is a great pub, and we’ll be sorry to leave. Unfortunately, we no longer feel we can continue to run both of our pubs simultaneously, and would like to pass the reigns at the Horseshoe to someone else with a real passion for pubs.”

The Horseshoe Inn is well positioned between Welshpool and Oswestry, in a roadside location right on the tourist route. The pub has a beer garden and children’s play area, and letting rooms that could be developed further.

If you’re interested in the pub, contact Admiral Taverns’ recruitment team. 

Ian Wilson and Lynne Comley, landlords of Admiral Taverns’ pub The Black Horse in Princes Risborough, are celebrating after the pub made it into the Good Pub Guide for the third year running, and also secured a place in the Good Beer Guide 2010/2011.

Ian and Lynne, who have been at pub for 11 and 14 years respectively, have worked hard to establish a reputation for excellence.

We’d like to congratulate the pair for their hard work in building the profile of the Black Horse over the years and creating a thriving pub.

For more information on The Black Horse, visit the pub’s website; if you’d like to give running a pub a try, take a look at our pubs to let.

Jamie O’Grady of The Fighting Cocks in Kingston Upon Thames is the latest Admiral Taverns landlord to receive our Achievement Award.

Jamie has turned his pub into Surrey’s leading alternative music venue, hosting performances from acts such as New Found Glory, H2O, Against Me, Gallows and The King Blues. The pub also holds a comedy night every Monday, where the likes of Russell Brand, Lenny Henry and even Robin Williams have taken to the stage.

Customers can also enjoy free Guitar Hero at the bar, try their luck on the leopard print pool table and try out the ‘Rock Box’ jukebox that’s jam packed with 10,000 hand picked tunes.

For more information on The Fighting Cocks, visit the pub’s website; to see Admiral Taverns’ pubs available in the Surrey area, take a look at our pubs to let section of the website.  

Two landlords at the Wynnstay Inn in Llansilin have helped a local charity raise funds in a rather unusual way - with a sponsored tractor convoy. 

Simon Newman, who runs the pub with his partner Jon, has been collecting sponsorship for the convoy, which comprised of six vintage tractors and several motorbikes.  The money will go to the Severn Hospice in memory of local man Steve Price-Jones.

Simon said: “This charity ride has taken place before, but since last year’s trip, Steve,a popular member of the local community and one of the original group of fundraisers, has sadly passed away from cancer, so the event had extra poignancy this time around. 

“It’s really important to me and Jon to support the local community. We’ve got sponsorship forms and donation buckets making the rounds in the pub most days, and have already managed to raise a lot for this worthy cause thanks to the generosity of our customers.”

Simon and Jon also provided the convoy with a hearty meal at the pub before their journey began, and a champagne reception to celebrate their return.

Two first-time landlords from the estate have been recognised for their outstanding work by receiving Admiral Taverns Achievement Awards.

Egil Johansen from the Kenton in Hackney and Tim Hartas from the Quarry Gap in Bradford have received their awards for turning around the fortunes of their pubs since taking them on.

Egil,who was also named Best Newcomer of the London region in the Morning Advertiser’s Great British Pub Awards 2010, received his accolades for his innovative approach to the pub.  He’s created a varied calendar of events including movie nights, pub quizzes, jumble sales and club nights, and the back room of the pub is given over to exhibits from upcoming artists. 

Egil said: “I like to put on a wide variety of different events to ensure there’s something for everyone and that our customers always have a great time when they visit the pub. 

“The pub has gone from strength to strength, and people seem to love the quirky décor and friendly atmosphere. I’ve also recently extended our beer garden, which has been really popular over the summer months.

“I’m very proud of the positive changes I’ve managed to make to the pub and am obviously delighted to have received these awards in recognition of my hard work.”

Tim, who runs the Quarry Gap with his wife and daughter, was originally a builder by trade but saw the pub as an opportunity for a new venture for the family.

He said: “We’ve had lots of positive feedback from our customers since we arrived and the Quarry Gap is now one of the busiest pubs in the area. 

“We’re very proud of the positive changes we’ve made to the pub and are delighted to have received this award."

If you think you've got what it tales to make a great landlord, visit our pubs to let section to find pubs available in your area. 

We’re looking forward to taking part in the Restaurant Show in a couple of weeks.

Our Mypubfood team will be on hand at the show in Earls Court from 11th-13th October to showcase the food ideas, free support and expertise available to our landlords as well as the current pubs to let opportunities with Admiral.

If you’re coming along, visit us at stand C66 – it’s a great chance to pick our brains is you think a career in the pub industry might be for you.

If you’d like to take on a new challenge before the end of the year, then why not come along to one of our open days? We’re always on the look out for new landlords and you might be just the type of person we’re after.

We’ve got a series of open days going on over the next few months, where you can find out more about what it takes to become an Admiral Taverns landlord.

We’ll be visiting Bristol, Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and London between now and the end of the year – for more information, view our full open day schedule and let us know you’re coming along to get your Admiral Taverns goody bag on the day.