A BOLTON restaurant and bar has been awarded a prestigious national award for its commitment to proving a safe environment.

Great Ale at The Vaults, Market Place, has been awarded a silver accreditation at The Best Bar None awards, for the second year running.

Best Bar None is a national initiative comprising of local schemes involving bars who need to demonstrate their individual commitment to promoting a safe and responsible night out.

According to the organisers, there was keen interest from Bolton premises with positive uptake to the scheme.

As part of the scheme, all participating venues were invited to attend a variety of workshops, which included discussions with licensing officers from Greater Manchester Police, who were able to guide and advise licensees on best practice and legal requirements which included counter terrorism and child exploitation.

In the scheme’s first year there was a reported reduction by one third in the number of incident and violence within licensed premises in Bolton.

The awards ceremony was held at the Grosvenor Casino in Bolton and 25 bars in Bolton were given awards for their commitment to the scheme. Great Ale at The Vaults was one of eight bars to receive the silver award.

Market Place manager Nikki Wilson-Cook said: “We’re thrilled that Great Ale have achieved a silver accreditation at this year’s All Bar None awards. The safety of our customers is absolute priority so to have our tenants on board with such initiatives is reassuring.”