Latest news with #GetLicensed
Cambrian News
21-05-2025
- Cambrian News
Pub hailed as one of the friendliest in the UK granted extension
The White Hart Inn in was ranked second friendliest pub in the UK in a study by security experts Get Licensed, which looked at Tripadvisor reviews and median crime scores around each pub to find the friendliest in the UK.
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
One of Wales' best pubs in a beautiful riverside village is expanding
One of Wales' best pubs in a beautiful riverside village is expanding The White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels was the second friendliest pub in the UK, according to a recent study, and has now been given the go-ahead to expand its licensed area The White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire (Image: Google ) A proposal to extend the licensed area of a community pub in Pembrokeshire, recently lauded as one of Britain's friendliest, has been approved by county planners. The White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels was named the second friendliest pub in the UK in a study by security experts Get Licensed. The study analysed Tripadvisor reviews and median crime scores around each pub to determine the friendliest in the country. The historic White Hart, located on Finch Street and dating back 250 years, reopened as a community pub in 2021 following a campaign after its closure in May 2019 when the previous landlords decided to shift their focus elsewhere. The White Hart Community Inn Ltd was established as a Community Benefit Society, and a community share offer was launched under the guidance of the Wales Co-operative Centre. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . Two years of fundraising and campaigning resulted in sufficient funds being raised through individual community shares purchases. Financial support was also provided by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government via the Social Business Growth Fund administered by Social Investment Cymru at WCVA, along with a grant from Pembrokeshire County Council. White Hart Community Inn (St Dogmaels) Ltd had sought permission from Pembrokeshire County Council to expand the licensed premises by changing the use of the former manager's accommodation, which has been vacant since early 2022. Article continues below The application received conditional approval from planning officers and marks the second application for works at the White Hart recently. The community group has also successfully obtained permission from Pembrokeshire Council to fit solar panels on the esteemed pub. Support for the initiative came from the St Dogmaels Community Council, which affirmed it "fully supports the application for the installation of photovoltaic panels". The White Hart Inn reveled in its recent acclaim, securing the Get Licensed award along with a five-star Tripadvisor rating, where two-thirds of its reviews praised the establishment's 'friendly' and 'welcoming' ambiance. Article continues below
Western Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels' expansion bid approved
The White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels was ranked second friendliest pub in the UK in a study by security experts Get Licensed, which looked at Tripadvisor reviews and median crime scores around each pub to find the friendliest in the UK. The 250-year-old White Hart, on Finch Street, reopened as a community pub in 2021 following a campaign after it closed in May 2019, when the last landlords decided to refocus to other activities. The White Hart Community Inn Ltd was formed as a Community Benefit Society and a community share offer launched with the guidance of the Wales Co-operative Centre. Two years of fund-raising and campaigning saw enough money raised through individual community shares purchases together with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government via the Social Business Growth Fund administered by Social Investment Cymru at WCVA, alongside a grant from Pembrokeshire County Council. White Hart Community Inn (St Dogmaels) Ltd had asked Pembrokeshire County Council for permission the expand the licensed premises through a change of use of the former manager's accommodation, vacant since early 2022. The application was conditionally approved by planning officers. This is the second application for works at the White Hart recently. An application by White Hart Community Inn (St Dogmaels) Ltd to install solar panels at the historic pub was recently granted by Pembrokeshire County Council. That proposal was backed by St Dogmaels Community Council, which said it 'fully supports the application for the installation of photovoltaic panels'. Receiving the recent Get Licensed award, the White Hart Inn received a top score of five on Tripadvisor, and 66.67 per cent of its reviews highlighted the pub's 'friendly' and 'welcoming' atmosphere.
Western Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Western Telegraph
St Dogmaels pub named among the UK's friendliest
From Pembrokeshire to Scarborough, and everywhere in between, the experts at Get Licensed have scoured the country in search of the UK's friendliest pubs. And with more than 270 pubs in England alone, there are plenty to choose from. To come up with the list of the UK's friendliest and safest pubs, Get Licensed analysed Tripadvisor reviews and median crime scores. The friendliest pubs in the UK The friendliest pubs in the UK, according to Get Licensed, are: Fishers Arms (Horncliffe) White Hart Inn (St Dogmaels) Case is Altered (Bentley) Station (Knebworth) Plough Inn (Longparish) Garibaldi (Bourne End) Lamarsh Lion (Lamarsh) Cask Inn (Scarborough) Black Horse (Walcote) Y Pengwern (Llan Ffestiniog) What makes the White Hart Inn one of the UK's friendliest pubs? The White Hart Inn Community Inn, located in St Dogmaels, was named the second friendliest pub in the UK behind only Fishers Arms in Horncliffe. It was found to have a "friendliness score" of 8.27 (out of 10) and boasts a 5-star rating on Tripadvisor (from nine reviews). Around 66% of its reviews mention the words "friendly" and "welcoming". One person, commenting on Tripadvisor, said: "Lovely homely friendly local. Owned by the community and is central to village life. "The Staff are friendly and welcoming. Its dog friendly. The Sunday Dinner looks fantastic unfortunately we missed the time slot to order. "Beer is excellent. An Olde Worldy ambience with a beamed ceiling and enormous fireplace add to the very pleasant atmosphere." The nearby area was also found to have a median crime score of 609 out of 1,000, with just 39 crimes being reported in 2024. RECOMMENDED READING: The White Hart first started trading back in 1769 and was the last traditional pub in the village before closing in May 2019. However, after two years of fundraising, the community managed to raise enough money to purchase the pub and re-open it as The White Hart Community Inn. Supporters for the venture came from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The towns becoming Britain's knife crime capitals: How schoolchildren as young as ELEVEN carry blades and drugs gangs hold streets in a chokehold
'I'll shank someone up. I've had to stick it into some people. I had to do it for money.' These were the chilling words of homeless drug addict Abdi when MailOnline visited a high street in Middlesbrough this week. Whether they were the shameless boasts of an attention seeker with an inflated ego or the brazen admission of a violent criminal is unclear. But this fact is certain - Middlesbrough and the surrounding towns in the North East are fighting a horrifying knife and drug crisis. Cleveland Police Force, which covers the areas of Redcar, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees, deals with the highest rates of crime rate in the country. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released last year showed the force deals with 132.4 crimes per 1,000 people, compared to the average of 110.5 across England and Wales. Violent crime, specifically knife crime, as the region in a chokehold. Locals say it has become 'the norm' for children fresh out of primary school to carry blades on them. One terrified local told MailOnline: 'It's constant. It's rife now this knife crime. You can't fight with them, they have to have a weapon. 'There's no deterrent or anything like that. 'The drugs are rife too. As soon as they get a slap on the wrist, they go out and do it again. 'It's just a joke. They're laughing at the judges, and then they're out doing the same thing.' A study done by security experts 'Get Licensed' using the ONS figures found Cleveland to be battling the second-highest rate of serious knife crime, with only London in front. Last month, a knife was reportedly seized from an 11-year-old in Hartlepool. Just last week, in the early hours of Wednesday, a 17-year-old boy in Hemlington, Middlesbrough, was found fighting for his life after being stabbed. Two males, aged 17 and 18, were arrested in connection with attempted murder. And on Thursday, an 18-year-old in North Ormesby, also Middlesbrough, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting emergency workers, after two officers required hospital treatment having sustained arm and facial injuries. MailOnline visited the 'roughest' parts of Cleveland in a search to find out just how badly the community is being affected by violent crime. While speaking to a shopkeeper on Parliament Road, in the crime-ridden TS1 area of Middlesbrough, a customer came in looking for some crocs to buy. Overhearing our conversation with the workers at the store, the man, known as Abdi, chimed in: 'Everywhere in north-east is bad. I'm not being rude but they're all crack babies. 'All these kids' mums and dads, they take heroin and crack, so the kids come out and they're all [makes a buzzing noise] and by the time they're 15 they're stabbing someone up. 'Also around here you've got nowt to do. You sell drugs. 'I know all the crackheads, I know everyone around here. 'It's all the crack man. But forget going to that, what they give people in the chemists is the worst. 'These tablets f*** the whole town. 'That's heroin, f***ing everywhere that is. The opioid tablets, they're the worst, even I'm addicted to them.' But what came next was shocking. The 27-year-old admitted: 'On a bad day bro, I'll shank someone up. 'I'm a good lad. 'But I'll tell you I've had to stick it into some people man. 'Even if they're nice. Why? While I'm grafting round here, some of them try taxing you, you know what I mean? Taking your drugs, stuff like that. 'I had to do it for money, income init. I'm business-minded. At one store in the TS1 area of Middlesbrough, there are CCTV cameras installed in every corner of the shop, as the area is blighted by drugs, violence and shoplifting 'Right now I'm homeless. I got no help from the council right, so guess where I'm sleeping? Crack houses. 'And guess what I got to do, a little something init. To stay afloat. 'The council won't help me even though I've got sleep apnea, PTSD, severe depression.' Asked if he carried a knife to protect himself, he shrugged his shoulders as though obvious, responding 'of course'. He told MailOnline that over the years it has become normality for people to carry knives on them. He said: 'It's too normal. About five or six years ago, say 2019, you wouldn't see none of this man.' While Abdi was unphased about the repercussions of holding a blade, elsewhere in Cleveland, three miles west in Stockton-on-Tees, MailOnline spoke to a young father whose life has been forever changed by the impacts of knife crime. On February 17, 2020, David Harmer and friend Taylor Black, 18, had got home at 8am after a night out. Mr Harmer, now 26, had gone off to work shortly after, only to receive a call from Taylor's grandma crying down the phone. Taylor had been stabbed 64 times - including 40 times to the head. Talking about that moment Mr Hamer said: 'It was horrendous. The bit that struck me was the knife embedded in his skull. 'It's just ruthless. That's what affected me the most, the manner in which he did it. 'I was suffering from night terrors after, waking up in the middle of the night, that lasted a couple of years. I still get them sometimes. 'That week that Taylor died, I think there were another six or seven people that had been stabbed, just around this area. 'It's just mental. I've just seen this morning that a 17-year-old has been stabbed. 'The knife crime is horrendous here, I've not seen anything like it. 'You're on edge all the time walking down the street. You never ever know what people might do around here. 'I've had knives pulled out on me, I've been threatened with knives.' One store in Grangetown was seen with a bike lock used as a lock to secure the front of the store and with broken glass windows on either side Mr Harmer raised money for the Chris Cave Foundation - which was started up by grieving mother Theresa Cave who also lost her son to knife crime - earlier this year. He rode a motorbike from Redcar to Scafell Pike in the Lake District, before then hiking up Scafell Pike and placing a flag at the top which featured a collage of pictures of knife crime victims. On the lasting impact Taylor's death has had five years later, he said: 'It's just crazy how many lives it can ruin. 'It gives you chills just thinking about it. 'You can't get away from it, and it's so easy to be pulled into it too. Drugs is massive too, and that'll be a factor in it as well. 'I just don't understand why you would want to turn to knives and drugs and stuff like that. 'In school we had a form group, and six of them were behind bars in jail by the time we left school. 'If you're on the wrong path, that's it you're in trouble, they won't let you get out.' Mr Harmer has a four-year-old stepson and worries everyday for when he grows up. He said: 'It's everyday I worry. I definitely wouldn't want him to grow up in the areas where I was. 'It's talking to him everyday, and when he gets older telling him that if anyone ever pulls a knife out on him not to try and stand and fight. 'You've got no chance against a knife. No chance.' Ms Allison warns youngsters that picking up a knife is 'final', and the act will impact several families for life Taylor's killer, Nathan Costello was sentenced to life in 2021 after what police described as a 'pre-planned' attack. Costello was previously known to the family and had been a former friend of Taylor's, having even babysat Taylor as a child. Taylor's uncle took his life after hearing about the details of his nephew's brutal murder. Now, Taylor's mum, who has lost both her son and her younger brother, keeps strong for her youngest boy, Shae. Looking up at a framed picture of her son and brother Niki, Lindsey Allison said: 'I'd spoken to Taylor on that morning at about 8.30am. 'By 9.30am my brother phoned me and said Taylor has been stabbed. 'I'd rushed to the scene, it was all cordoned off, and I just knew it. There were no ambulances, only police everywhere, and they took me to one side and told me Taylor had been killed. 'It was awful. I was in shock for so long. 'Taylor never got in trouble ever. If anyone tried to argue with him, he would walk away, he was that kind of kid. 'He was at university doing computer science, he shouldn't have even been home that day, but he'd came home for the weekend just to see myself and his brother and his nan. Pictured: Ms Allison with Taylor. She told of how Taylor would never get into any trouble and on the weekend of his death he had been visiting back home from university 'Now my brother is dead too, my mum has PTSD and my little one Shae has separation anxiety, he can't be away from me.' Speaking about how rife knife crime has become in the area, Ms Allison said: 'I don't know whether I'm more aware of it now because of what happened to Taylor, but you just seem to hear and see about stabbings every single day. 'It's just so bad now. Maybe I just didn't realise before, but it feels like every time you check Facebook or open the paper it's literally there all the time now. 'It's just like normality to the kids now to pick up a knife, it's like a fashion statement. 'It's not even something they hide now. 'You hear stories, and hear that kids as young as 12 are carrying them.' In a desperate plea to youngsters to not carry knives, she said: 'It is final. 'You can just stab somebody once and there's no safe place to be stabbed, none whatsoever, and it's the end of a life, end of their life, end of a family's life. 'It literally effects everybody. It's just final isn't it, so think twice. 'If it's something to do with a gang, just pull out of the gang and leave.' Last year, Stockton CID arrested the final member of a 'highly organised' criminal gang after a long running investigation into kidnap, drugs supply, and firearms offences spanning Cleveland, Merseyside, Manchester and Scotland. In total, the eight-person gang were charged and either pleaded guilty or were convicted, with sentences ranging from four and a half years to 12 years and nine months. And in June last year, a gang involved in 'flooding Teesside with crack cocaine and heroin' were jailed. It was found 23-year-old Jonothan Grant had been fundeding a lavish lifestyle spent on holidays, car rentals and hotel accommodation, through the supply of Class A drugs. He had worked alongside his partner Nichola Vout and recruited associates Craig Perkins, Amanda Eddy and Naomi Richmond. Over in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, a grandma told of how her teenage grandson was stabbed earlier this year. Just weeks later, another man was stabbed to death in the same street. Diane Morley told MailOnline her grandson had been stabbed earlier this year As MailOnline was driving to Grangetown this week, there were police cordons around a holdall which is believed to have contained animal remains Diane Morley said: 'My grandson was stabbed in Hemlington in January. 'In Fonteyn Court, just before that other lad was murdered. 'My grandson is 17. And now there's been another 17-year-old stabbed in Hemlington this week. 'I don't live here now. I wouldn't walk around here at night, it's frightening.' While it remains one of the biggest issues causing terror to residents in Cleveland, the force has said there has been a reduction in knife crime. Latest figures for 2024 show knife crime in young people across Teesside dropped by 12 per cent compared to the year before. The force began running its 'Carrying a Blade Doesn't Give You an Edge' campaign in 2023, aimed at educating young people against picking up a blade. Earlier this year, bags of suspected drugs and a bladed weapon were seized from a 17-year-old Operation Sceptre is also dedicated to keeping knives off the street - blades were linked to 503 reports of violence resulting in injury in the 12 months from October 2023 to 2024, with six deaths occurring as a result of knives in the same period. Knife surrender bins, or 'amnesty' bins are even placed at Cleveland's main police stations which gives people the opportunity to voluntarily give up their weapons. In May last year, a week-long effort by police, more than 250 knives including zombie knives and axes were seized through both stop-and-searches and amnesty bins. Peter, of Middlesbrough, who asked for his face to be blurred out of fear for his life, told of how both he and his daughter are constantly the victims of attacks. He spoke of an incident last year in which he was attacked by three teens with knives. He told MailOnline: 'I got jumped by three young lads just round the back here. 'One of them tried to take my phone off me, but I stood up for myself and then there were two more of them over my shoulder. 'I wasn't well at all but I ended up fighting him off, kept putting him down, but then the other two went and got knives and tried to stab me up. 'That was May last year. If I had that top on, it's got the slit marks here [points to his lower right torso] where they tried to stab me. 'Kids have also tried to put the window through using knives and machetes. 'You don't even feel like living the house now. I wasn't even going to walk up here, I usually come on my bike so I can get away and I've got a dog chain on me for protection. 'And I wear this so they can't stab through it. It's not a stab proof vest but it'll stop it going through. 'To be honest with you I've really been in the mindset that it's kill or be killed.' He also told of how a lot of the crime is linked to drugs and that the area has a big cocaine problem. Cleveland Police have said knife crime has reduced by 12 per cent in the 2024 year when compared with the year prior He said: 'They're on crack. It's a really big problem around here. It's worse than cocaine and all. 'It's just something you're craving, craving, craving, want, want, want, no matter how much you have. 'And I don't bother with that. Never have.' Cleveland Police told of how their initiative to tackle serious violence, Operation Deterrence, has been working to reduce such crimes in the police force area. Assistant chief constable Richard Baker said: 'Operation Deterrence is Cleveland Police's ongoing pro-active approach to tackling serious violence, with officers from each district's Proactive Team carrying out both uniformed and plain clothed patrols in areas identified as having high levels of violence. 'Operation Deterrence has delivered a 30 per cent decrease in serious violence in hot spot areas. 'Between 15th July 2024 and 30 April 2025, there were 292 serious violence offences in hot spot areas. This is a decrease of 126 offences when compared to the same period the previous year. 'In addition, officers conduct stop and search patrols in those hot spot areas. These targeted stop searches have shown an increase in those arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article, with 156 arrests in 2024 -up from 140 in 2023. 'This increase shows that we are targeting the right areas and the right people to remove knives and bladed weapons from the streets of Teesside. 'The force also runs additional operations throughout the year to target those involved in violent crime, such as Operation Artemis which takes place every month, and Operation Sceptre - a national week of intensification which runs twice a year with a strong focus on engagement with young people and education in schools. Cleveland Police run operations including Operation Deterrence and Operation Sceptre which are aimed at tackling knife crime Parliament Road in Middlesbrough which is known for drugs and shoplifting. Many stores on the street had shutters up when MailOnline visited 'Policing is only a part of the whole approach to tackling knife crime, and Cleveland Police works closely with partner agencies to drive down serious violence across Teesside. 'In addition, we jointly delivered a first of its kind youth custody suite in Middlesbrough last year. The youth custody suite means a more appropriate environment is available for young people in custody, which in turn means we can better communicate with them... so the appropriate support can be provided to address their behaviour and tackle reoffending.' Head of CURV (Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence), John Holden M.B.E, said: 'Cleveland Police and the Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence (CURV) work collaboratively on a number of initiatives to tackle knife crime, including holding the first ever multi-agency knife crime summit in the area taking place in March this year which brought together front line responders tackling the issue and a number of subject matter experts. 'We will continue with both enforcement and long-term prevention focused activity to address the issue of knife crime and the harmful impact it has on individuals and communities. 'The Cleveland area faces challenges such as deprivation, substance misuse and domestic violence - all factors that have been proven to drive violent behaviour. But our partnership of local organisations strongly believes that violence does not have to be an inevitable outcome for young people growing up here. 'In the last 12 months, CURV-funded interventions have engaged with over 9,500 young people under the age of 24 and a further 800 people over the age of 24, supporting them in making positive choices to reduce the risk of being drawn into violent crime.
