Bristol licensee Duncan Smith has received a Dedicated Service Award from Heineken-owned Star Pubs in recognition of his contribution to local communities during 46 years in the pub industry.
Smith has spent 36 years as licensee of The Sandringham on Sandy Park Road in Brislington, making him the area’s longest-serving licensee.
The award was presented by .
Born and raised in Bristol, Smith managed The Sandringham for five years before taking on its lease in 1990.
His career subsequently developed into a multi-site pub business, at one stage comprising 15 venues.
Smith said: “I went from being the manager of The Sandringham aged 29 to taking on leases for seven Bristol pubs overnight. My boss and mentor had 25 pubs at the time and sadly had to give them up due to ill health.
“He suggested I take them over and advised which would thrive best. It was a baptism of fire. My first two years were a nightmare. It was a hand-to-mouth existence and full-on overseeing so many pubs.
“I survived and went on to have 15 pubs at one time. Ten years ago, I decided to reduce the number of pubs I had to four.”
Smith currently owns two freehold pubs in Bristol, The Barley Mow in Bedminster and The Kings Head in Kingswood, alongside The Sandringham and The Larkhall Inn in Bath, both operated under Star Pubs leases.
He added: “In my time, I have dealt with all the pub companies but Star Pubs is the only one I want to work with now.”
Known locally as The Sange, The Sandringham dates from around the turn of the 20th century and retains a traditional pub character.
Its walls feature photographs of historic Bristol, Concorde and Bobby Moore lifting the 1966 World Cup trophy.
The ground floor comprises a sports bar with dartboards and a pool table alongside a rear lounge bar, while the first floor includes a function room, bar and traditional skittle alley.
The pub hosts a regular programme of community activities including quiz nights, skittles, cribbage, bingo, a Sunday meat raffle and darts.
For the past four years it has also staged a 24-hour darts marathon raising money for BLESMA, the charity supporting limbless veterans, and Children’s Hospice South West.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, staff at The Sandringham delivered takeaway beer to older regular customers living alone, allowing the team to maintain contact with people for whom the pub formed an important part of their social life.
Over his time at the venue, Smith has also created employment opportunities for local people, including young employees beginning their working lives and others requiring additional shifts.
When Smith first began working at The Sandringham there were eight pubs operating in Brislington. Today, four remain, with the venue having traded through challenges including the 2007 smoking ban, the global financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and more recent cost and taxation pressures.
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