Admiral Taverns Pub Wins BII Licensee of the Year Award!

Mike Dove and Tommy Higgs – The Three Horseshoes, Witney

Mike Dove and Tommy Higgs, licensees of traditional community pub, The Three Horseshoes in Witney, have been crowned the BII Licensee of the Year, marking the first time an Admiral pub has been awarded this magnificent achievement.

The BII Licensee of the Year competition is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK. Since January 2025, operators from across the UK have been whittled down from a field of over 500 nominations, all vying to become the next BII Licensee of the Year winner.

Having taken on their pub just two years ago, these best friends – who have been dreaming of owning and running their own venue for a decade – secured the top spot, giving an emotional and heartfelt winner’s speech.

Tommy and Mike were crowned winners in front of a crowd of 900 colleagues and industry friends at this year’s BII Summer Event, hosted on Tuesday, 17th June, at the beautiful HAC Royal Artillery Gardens in Moorgate.

Janice Blacklock and Amanda Buchanan, licensees of The Border Terrier in North Shields, were also named among the final six – an excellent achievement and well-deserved recognition for their hard work and dedication.

Chris Jowsey, CEO at Admiral Taverns, said: “I am absolutely thrilled for Mike and Tommy – what an incredible, well-deserved achievement that reflects everything we believe here at Admiral about the value of traditional, community pubs.

Since taking the pub over just two years ago, our licensees have created a vibrant social hub that offers residents so much more than just a place to drink and this award stands testament to that. It’s been a joy working with Mike and Tommy so far and I’d like to take this opportunity to further congratulate them on such a huge moment!

I’d also like to extend a special thanks to our fantastic licensees at The Border Terrier, Janice and Amanda, who alongside The Three Horseshoes made it into the final six which in itself is a phenomenal achievement.

I look forward to seeing all that’s to come for these brilliant pubs and of course I continue to be incredibly grateful for everything our licensees, across our estate, do to keep their pubs at the heart of their communities.”