BARS and pub owners from across Bolton came together last week to celebrate a scheme aimed at improving the town’s nightlife.

The nationally recognised Best Bar None launched in Bolton town centre in January, 2017, and within its first nine months was hailed for its part in reducing alcohol-related violence inside venues by 32 per cent.

The scheme sees police, local authorities and bar and club owners work together to reduce alcohol-related harm and is focused on improving professionalism and standards of trading while coming up with innovative approaches to safety, welfare and concern for the vulnerable.

Once establishments meet the criteria, owners and staff are invited to awards nights to recognise the work they do.

17 licensed premises from across the town centre signed up to the scheme for the first twelve months, and it has gone from strength to strength ever since.

The scheme branched out to Westhoughton last year, with The Beer School and The Robert Shaw among the venues that signed up.

Now in its third year, organisers are hopeful its reach can spread to venues elsewhere in the borough.

On Tuesday, venues from across the town attended the launch of this year’s scheme at The Northern Way in Nelson Square.

A number of new members enrolled on the evening, including The Beaumont Arms in Ladybridge, Missoula and Harvester at Middlebrook, and The Britannia Inn in Farnworth.

PC Andy Vernon, GMP’s divisional licensing officer for Bolton, said: “The licensees at the time thought the town was at the bottom of a downward spiral and wanted to do something about it. I had heard about Best Bar None so decided to bring it to Bolton.

“It is about raising standards and improving policy. All the premises work together because they have a common goal.”

The scheme has helped to introduce initiatives such as ‘Ask for Angela’, where someone can ask bar staff for Angela if they feel threatened and they will get them the help they need, and ‘Get Home Safe’, an initiative aimed at educating the public about using licensed private hire vehicles only.

According to PC Vernon, both scheme have already helped to prevent several potential assaults.

One of the next aims for the scheme is to secure investment in order to install defibrillators on streets across the town centre.

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for environmental services, Nick Peel, said: “Best Bar None fits in perfectly with our regeneration strategy for the town centre.

“The night-time economy is not for everyone and we need to make it more family-friendly. We have made a great start to that with The Vaults, but there is a lot more work to be done.

“We are trying to build a better place in Bolton and having a vibrant nightlife is a important, but we need to make sure it is safe.”