The new chair of Shrewsbury Pubwatch says he is looking forward to continuing the group’s work to ensure people can enjoy a safe and fun night out in the county town.

Kev Rippard, joint owner of The Salopian in Smithfield Road, has been elected as chair of Shrewsbury Pubwatch, taking the reins from the previous chair, James Hitchin of The Alb.

He said he was keen to build on the good work undertaken by Shrewsbury Pubwatch over the past few years.

His aims as chair will be to build engagement in the Pubwatch network from members, as well as improving attendance at meetings where information can be shared that collectively help venues contribute to a safe night-time economy in the town.

“I have worked in security myself since 1998, so like to think I can offer an experienced perspective on safety issues for venues,” Kev said.

“Shrewsbury quite rightly has a great reputation for its night-time offering and we want to enhance that by making the town centre as safe and inclusive as possible for people enjoying a night out.

“The Pubwatch group is a strong community made up of venues of different shapes, sizes and customer bases, who work together to ensure we provide a safe and enjoyable environment.

“Along with a background in security, my time running The Salopian also gives me first hand experience of dealing with flooding issues which is a major challenge for many of us in Shrewsbury.

“Pubwatch has also long recognised the importance of consistent CCTV monitoring for maintaining a safe environment, and I will represent Pubwatch members’ concerns on this matter to partners.”

Shrewsbury has held the Purple Flag accreditation for the past eight years, which highlights the town as having a safe and successful night-time economy.

Initiatives such as the Shrewsbury Rangers, who carry out regular safety patrols in support of the police, and river safety campaigns have been praised for keeping people safe.

Shrewsbury Pubwatch, which is coordinated by Shrewsbury BID, is central to bringing those initiatives together for the benefit of everyone visiting and working in the town.

If you are interested in becoming a member of Pubwatch, please contact Kev on kgrippard@gmail.com, or Stephanie at stephanie@shrewsburybid.co.uk.