Lee Gripton from The Tooth & Claw in Inverness has been announced as winner of this year’s Music Makeover competition run by PRS for Music.
More than 230 pubs and bars from around the UK entered the competition which offered a top prize of £10,000 for improving live music facilities along with a bespoke music consultancy and exclusive event featuring PRS for Music members.
Lee, who is manager of the venue (formerly Eagle Bar), was awarded the top prize due to the pub’s musical vision and potential and the manager’s enthusiasm. He is pictured with business partner James Carr.
In second place, John Govier from The Brook Inn in Plymouth won a £5,000 makeover while third-place winner Willow Vidal-Hall from The Booth Hall in Hereford won a prize worth £2,500.
PRS chairman Guy Fletcher said: “Lee’s energy and vision really impressed me alongside the enormous potential of the venue. There is a real opportunity here to cement this pub as a key live music venue in Inverness and we can’t wait to help that happen.”
Lee said: “Words cannot describe what this means to us. We’re now in a position to really set our dream in motion. We’ve worked extremely hard to just get to where we are at now. The help from PRS means we can achieve our goals perfectly and really contribute to the ever-growing music scene in Inverness!”
Paul Sims, head of marketing at PRS for Music, added: “Our annual Music Makeover competition aims to raise awareness of how effective live music can be in driving additional revenue for pubs and bars, which could prove the difference in ensuring a pub survives in the current climate.
“Being able to help improve the live music capabilities of the small live venues that are the lifeblood of our members is immensely satisfying and we wish every success to our two winners this year.”
To find out more about the work of PRS for Music, visit www.prsformusic.com.
