Three Horseshoes in Witney wins BII award

Tommy Higgs and Mike Dove from The Three Horseshoes in Witney have won the BII Licensee of the Year competition.

The accolade is one of the most hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK.

Since January 2025, operators from across the country have been whittled down from a field of over 500 nominations. Following a final judging day at Sky Head Quarters, where each of the six finalists faced three panels of industry experts and operators, Higgs and Dove were chosen as 2025's winners.

Winning in Witney

The Three Horseshoes duo were crowned winners in front of a crowd of 900 colleagues and industry peers at this year’s BII Summer Event, hosted on Tuesday 17 June at the HAC Royal Artillery Gardens in Moorgate.

"I’d like to offer a massive congratulations to Mike and Tommy on behalf of myself and the whole team here at the BII, including our fantastic judges," says Steve Alton, chief executive of the BII. "I would like to also congratulate our other wonderful finalists on this incredible achievement.  

"Tommy and Mike have proved themselves to be true innovators, taking a traditional country pub and making it into a truly special space for every area of the community. Their leadership and team focus as well as their infectious positivity won them the award on the day."

The BII event was live streamed for the first time this year, allowing the finalists’ pubs to join the event online to cheer them on.

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