Calderdale pub is national finalist in The Great British Pub Awards

The White Lion in Hebden Bridge is shortlisted in the Staff Welfare category of the ceremony.

The Great British Pub Awards Pub Heroes recognise and reward the incredible efforts by pubs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Haley Tansey, publican of The White Lion, understood the impact of lockdown would be huge on her team and immediately looked at ways how she could look after them.

She made sure all of her team was financially supported. Since most of the team were weekly paid, there was a huge concern that they would not be able to meet bills and keep their households afloat.

She committed to paying each member of the team 100% of their wages out of her own savings before the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme went live.

She released holiday pay and advanced wages out of her personal savings to ensure no one had financial difficulties. Hayley also offered mental health support, whether it was a friendly ear that listened, or whether it was a referral to locally based charities and organisations that would be able to offer professional help.

Haley is also part of the Hebden Bridge Business Forum which aims to bring more visitors to the vibrant town benefitting all independent businesses within the town. She is part of the “Loyal to Local Campaign” encouraging locals to shop safely in their town as every penny counts on getting businesses back on track. Moreover, Haley managed to get some local funding to issue safety packages to every business in Hebden Bridge, assisting to secure jobs in the town for The White Lion staff and hopefully many others.

Hayley said: “Lockdown hit us all in different ways, and it was tough especially for the members of my team who live a long way from home. Our main concern was that everybody was looked after. Our focus was to do everything we could to minimise the risk and impact on our people.

“Being as responsive as possible was the best strategy. We kept communication fully open, we constantly reminded our team that they could contact us 24/7 with any questions, problem or if they just wanted a chat. We used Facebook chats, regular Zoom calls, individual calls and texts to ensure everyone felt involved.

“Winning this award would be a fantastic morale boost for the whole White Lion team, the cherry on top of the cake! It is now down to our friends, family and customers to vote for us on the link below”

With over 600 entries across fifteen categories, the shortlisted pubs will now face a public vote to be crowned overall winner.

To vote for The White Lion visit www.greatbritishpubawards.co.uk