Greene King pub in Sheffield named Best Bar None

A Sheffield pub which served Pete Doherty soft drinks all night has been named the UK's most responsible pub.

Greene King's Frog and Parrot in Sheffield - the pub where the Arctic Monkeys were discovered - won this year's Best Bar None Award, beating thousands of other entrants.

The award recognises the pub which provides the UK's most safe and responsible environment where people can enjoy themselves.

Some of the elements that helped the Frog and Parrot win the prestigious award included:

• Managing mood through music and ensuring the right music is played in the venue at the right noise level for neighbours
• Mandatory onsite and offsite training for staff
• Promoting a community atmosphere by encouraging staff to bring their mums and grans into the pub
• Being a good neighbour - the manager has fortnightly meetings with residents' associations

The national award scheme is run by Best Bar None, a recognised scheme for licensed premises, which is currently run in over 95 towns and cities across the UK. Best Bar None sees pubs and clubs accredited for the steps they take to be responsible, across a range of areas including search policies and age-check procedures. The scheme in Durham has led to a 52% drop in crime, and a 28% increase in customers at some venues.

Nick Simmonite, manager for the Frog and Parrot, said: "When Pete Doherty came into our pub I thought we'd lose our reputation for being a nice and relaxing place to come and enjoy yourself. But amazingly he was really nice, well behaved and drank soft drinks all night!

"The secret to providing customers with a great but safe night out is to ensure your staff receive the best training, then trust them to ensure the pub is a fuss-free place for customers to enjoy themselves."

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By Neil Gerrard

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