What's in a name? Fighting Cocks wins safety prize

The Fighting Cocks was the overall winner at last night’s (Tuesday, October 22) Durham Best Bar None awards, set up to reward responsible management of bars, nightclubs and restaurants in the city.

The venue, off North Road, also picked up the best pub prize at the awards ceremony, held at Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham, and attended by around 300 guests.

The Fighting Cocks was a runner-up for the pub prize in 2011.

The other winners last night were Whisky River (best bar), Loveshack (best nightclub) and Pizza Express (best restaurant).

The runners-up were The Head of Steam, The Bishops Mill and Fat Buddha, respectively.

Councillor Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, said: “These awards celebrate the highly valued work this initiative brings to the safe management of Durham city centre and enables us to retain the strong working partnership we have formed to continue not only to reap the rewards of attracting a vibrant night time economy but also to ensure that we provide as safe an environment as possible.”

Mike Barton, chief constable of Durham Police, said: “This award-winning scheme is a huge testament to each and every licensee that has participated this year.

“I’m over the moon to announce that we’re once again on target to maintain for two years running a 57.6 per cent drop in violence against the person.”

City centre manager Carol Feenan said: “Apart from making the streets safer the scheme has also seen an increase in the number of people coming into the city centre at night.

“But we are never complacent and we look forward to even more success.”

Durham’s Best Bar None awards have been praised at a national level.

However, they have also attracted controversy. In 2009, The Loft, a nightclub on North Road, was stripped of its best nightclub title for offering customers all they could drink for £10.

In Consett, lap dancing club Red Velvet had its licence revoked shortly after being named as a runner-up.