Manchester cocktail bar Schofield’s has shared its absolute honour at being awarded not one but two prestigious gongs at one of the UK’s biggest bar awards ceremonies.
Shortlisted for no less than four awards in all, the sophisticated cocktail bar was awarded both ‘Bar of the Year’ and ‘New Bar of the Year’ at the Class Bar awards ceremony this week – making history as the first venue to ever win both.
Attending a glitzy awards ceremony on Tuesday night, the understated cocktail den beat London’s A Bar with Shapes for a Name and Tayer + Elementary, as well as Leeds’ Tabula Rasa, to take home two of the ceremony’s biggest awards.
It’s a coup for Bury-born brother Joe and Daniel Schofield, who have only recently opened the sleek city centre cocktail bar – taking over landmark Manchester boozer The Old Grapes last year.
Image; Schofield’s Bar
Since then, they’ve gone from strength to strength – with Schofield’s first appearing at number 16 on the 2022 Top 50 Cocktail Bars List, and now this.
Sharing their news on Instagram, Schofield’s wrote: “We are honoured to receive Bar of the Year and New Bar of the Year at the prestigious CLASS Bar Awards, and be the first bar to ever win both.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our team, for constantly giving 100% to our goal of providing hospitality to our guests.
Image: Schofield’s Bar
“We would like to thank our guests for supporting what we do on a daily basis. We would also like to thank the hospitality community of Manchester for taking us in.
“We are proud to call Manchester home and proud to be a part of a thriving hospitality scene. To the team who couldn’t join us last night, we collected the awards on your behalf.”
As well as Schofield’s, brothers Joe and Daniel also have a second cocktail bar, Atomeca, on Deansgate Square and recently revealed plans to open a third underneath Gary Neville’s Stock Exchange Hotel.
Image:Schofield’s Bar
Schofield’s wasn’t the only Manchester bar to take home an award on the night.
Mecanica, the opulent Swan Street bar with a menu inspired by hotels from around the world, also took home a gong from the Class Awards on Tuesday.
Bartender Elena Wright has only been in the industry for a year, but that didn’t stop her from being awarded the ‘Emerging Bartender of the Year’ award at this year’s Class Bar Awards ceremony.
The annual awards, organised by leading industry publication Class, celebrate the very best of the UK’s bartending talent, with further categories including Bar Manager of the Year, Front of House Star of the Year, Bar Employer of the Year, Social Media Presence of the Year and Sustainable Practices Award.
The full list of Class Bar Awards winners and finalists can be found below.
Social Media Presence of the Year sponsored by Della Vite
Sexy Fish, London
Nightjar & Oriole, London (Winner)
Pineapple Club, Birmingham
Mr Fogg’s, London
Sustainable Practices Award sponsored by Belvedere
Publiq, London (Winner)
Henrock Bar, Windermere
Ugly Butterfly, St Ives
Rockwell, London
Front of House Star of the Year sponsored by Horse With No Name
Dina Gestoso-Mattar, Pineapple Club, Birmingham
Christiana Pirinu, The Donovan Bar, London
Jacopo Correnti, Oriole, London (Winner)
Shaneka Mccalla, The Goring Bar, London
Emerging Bartender of the Year sponsored by La Hechicera
Courtney Francis, Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth
Rory Sorrell, Murder Inc, London
Elena Wright, Mecanica, Manchester (Winner)
La’Mel Clarke, Lyaness, London
Bar Employer of the Year sponsored by Master of Malt Trade
Mecanica, Manchester
Pineapple Club, Birmingham (Winner)
Speakeasy Entertainment (Nightjar & Oriole), London
Dishoom, London
Bar Manager of the Year sponsored by Italicus
Maura Milia, Connaught Bar, London (Winner)
Klára Kopčikova, Pineapple Club, Birmingham
James Wheeler, Lyaness, London
Sophie Bratt, Sexy Fish, London
Outstanding Contribution Award sponsored by Stauning Whisky
Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown (Winners)
Cocktail of the Year sponsored by Lanique
Pineapple | Miso, Silverleaf at Pan Pacific, London
Biscoff Old Fashioned, Present Company, Liverpool
Pastel, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London (Winner)
Irish Coffee, Swift, London
Drinks Menu of the Year sponsored by Franklin & Sons
Lab 22, Cardiff (Winner)
A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
Schofield’s Bar, Manchester
Couch, Birmingham
Bar Food Menu of the Year sponsored by Menabrea
Bon Vivant, Edinburgh
Tayer + Elementary, London (Winner)
Little Mercies, London
Homeboy, London
Specialist Bar of the Year sponsored by Savoia
KOL, London
Hey Palu, Edinburgh
Milroy’s, London
Hacha, London (Winner)
Hotel Bar of the Year sponsored by Moët & Chandon
Side Hustle, Nomad, London
Connaught Bar, The Connaught, London (Winner)
Artesian, The Langham, London
Lyaness, Sea Containers, London
New Bar of the Year sponsored by Hapusa Gin
A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
Schofield’s Bar, Manchester (Winner)
Tabula Rasa, Leeds
Silverleaf at Pan Pacific, London
Bar of the Year sponsored by Disaronno
Tayer + Elementary, London
Schofield’s Bar, Manchester (Winner)
A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
Lab 22, Cardiff
Bartender of the Year sponsored by The Busker
Rachel Orange, Schofield’s Bar, Manchester
Remy Savage, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London (Winner)
Monica Berg, Tayer + Elementary, London
Filippos Filippopoulos, Tabula Rasa, Leeds
Bar Innovator(s) of the Year sponsored by Tia Maria
Lyndon Higginson, The Liars Group, Manchester
Joe & Daniel Schofield, Schofield’s Bar / Atomeca, Manchester
Monica Berg & Alex Kratena, Tayer + Elementary, London (Winner)
Remy Savage, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London
News
Brand new venue confirmed as the host of The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness
Danny Jones
The magnificent Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness is back this year, and with the 2025 event fast approaching, they have announced arguably their biggest host venue yet, setting up in camp in a brand new food and drink hall.
Having housed the incredible charity gathering from Freight Island last year, it was always going to take some beating this time around, but somehow they’ve managed to.
The annual relay run in aid of Greater Manchester’s homeless community will be taking place at none other than the city centre’s recently unveiled House of Social, with the building’s wider student living quarters serving as the perfect fit for the initiative first thought up by university friends back in 2018.
Announced this week, House of Social will be teaming up with the wider First Street neighbourhood to look after the hordes of incredible runners this year.
Jamie Hills, Development Director at Ask Real Estate – who operate the ever-growing First St complex – said of volunteering as this year’s hosts: “First Street is thrilled to welcome and fuel the incredible runners of The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness.
“As the city’s hotspot for community events and culture, we’re proud to be a place where community thrives, so we’re incredibly excited to support this important initiative. With our fantastic on-site amenities like House of Social, we’re ready to keep those participating powered up and going strong!”
As for co-founder Tom Lewis, speaking to The Manc, he said: “We’re excited to return for our 7th edition, with Manchester being our flagship event.
“Through being hosted at House of Social in First Street, we’re hoping to make this year’s edition the best and biggest yet, aiming to raise £50,000 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity Scheme, ‘A Bed Every Night’.
“We’d love to see you all at the event, plus bring your friends and workplace to. There are paces for everyone, including walking laps.”
In November 2024, not only did the fundraising phenomenon mark its first-ever expansion with an inaugural event in Birmingham, but it also surpassed £50,000 here in Manchester alone, and is now set to make debuts in a trio of new cities.
Tom went on to add: “I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish as a team with starting up three more events across the country this year and expanding Manchester to a scale we couldn’t have dreamed of when we started out seven years ago.”
We here at The Manc Group have been helping The MCR 24 Run Against Homelessness for several years now, and have put in plenty of those 5k laps between ourselves, so you can bank on us being there to put in some more hard yards this November.
Even better still, we’ve already roped in our friends over at The Hoot to help out with the maiden 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness in Leeds, and we hope to see lots more of you chipping in across the North and beyond.
Here’s to helping rough sleepers find beds and get back on their feet all over the country.
The @mcr24hourrun is expanding in 2025 and is heading to Leeds for the first time. 🏃♂️
And they're not the only city making their debut this year either… 👊
Tatton Park makes decision to temporarily close gate after visitor is attacked by rutting deer
Emily Sergeant
Tatton Park has made the decision to temporarily close one of its gates after a member of the public following a ‘recent change in deer activity’.
It comes after ‘a couple of injuries’ despite warnings and a large amount of signage across the park.
The decision to close the Knutsford gate had to be taken by Tatton management with input from Cheshire East Council’s health and safety manager, and its director of growth and enterprise, along with ‘expert advice’ from the leading deer vet who works across many deer parks in the UK.
The Knutsford gate will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles ‘until further notice’, but the Dog Wood entrance and the main Rostherne entrance will remain open.
Tatton Park cited a current ‘larger number’ of stags than usual found feeding on fallen acorns near the Knutsford entrance, and an overall ‘recent shift in our deer herd’s behaviour during the rutting season’ as the reason for the gate’s closure in a statement shared to social media this week.
Rutting season – which refers to the autumn deer breeding season, typically from late September to early November in the UK – is when deer herds may exhibit aggression if approached.
“If you come across wild deer whilst visiting, we strongly advise you take an alternative route,” the park said in its statement.
The park’s Operations Team added in a statement, as reported by the MEN: “Despite all warnings, a large amount of signage, staff being on hand to advise people to avoid the deer, and all efforts to try to re-route people and get them to stop approaching the deer, we have unfortunately had a couple of injuries.”
One of the ‘injuries’ referred to was an incident involving 67-year-old man named Rod Savage, who was reportedly hurled up in the air after a large stag suddenly appeared and charged at him with his antlers, puncturing his stomach.
Tatton Park temporarily closes its gate after a visitor is attacked by rutting deer / Credit: Diana Parkhouse (via Unsplash)
The terrifying ordeal happened just 300 yards inside the Knutsford entrance, contributing to the gate’s temporary closure.
Tatton Park has now issued warnings and advice to all future visitors.
People are being told to ‘never walk between the deer’ and ‘never put yourself between deer and a fence’, while always maintaining a safe distance of 50m or more when possible, and ultimately remaining vigilant and fully-aware of your surroundings at all times.
Georgina Pellant -
26th May 2022 
