A group of publicans and licensees have celebrated 20 years of a scheme aimed at keeping their town a safe place for customers to enjoy a night out.

The Felixstowe Nightsafe Partnership was formed in 2002 by a group of licensees and others in the town, supported by Suffolk Constabulary and the East Suffolk Community Safety Partnership.

The scheme's current membership gathered at The Grand bar and nightclub, in Bent Hill, to mark the anniversary on Thursday 7 July. 

Venue owner Lorraine Woodgate said: "I believe it has been a very successful scheme over the past 20 years, and hopefully for many years to come, from being involved in the very first meeting on 4 July 2002 to now supporting all the licensed premises in the town that are part of the scheme.

"By all working together, it makes Felixstowe a much safer and enjoyable place to have a night out."

Regular meetings are held to keep members of the partnership fully informed of any recent incidents and to share best practice.

Cllr Mark Jepson, Community Safety Partnership Chair and Assistant Cabinet Member responsible for Community Safety at East Suffolk Council, presented flowers in celebration of Felixstowe Nightsafe's 20 years, accompanied by managers of licenced venues and representatives of Suffolk Constabulary and ESC Communities, Licencing and Community Safety Partnership teams. 

Cllr Jepson and wife Julie

Cllr Jepson said: "The aim of the group was to make Felixstowe an even safer place to have an enjoyable night out in. From the very start, we have had a focus on positively tackling the sort of issues that could put people off from visiting the town's licensed premises or that could affect local residents.

"This has involved working together to learn how to prevent and reduce violence, anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drug-related offences, criminal damage and general nuisance in or around licensed premises.

"By uniting the licensees and working closely with the police, the result over the last 20 years has been a coordinated response to identify and prevent potential problems.

"Felixstowe is a safer place as a result of this partnership, and all those involved over the years deserve our thanks for their efforts."

The Nightsafe banning committee has the power to collectively ban those whose behaviour is or has been unacceptable from all Nightsafe premises. At a recent Felixstowe Nightsafe meeting, the group took a strong stance on a number of individuals, with some being banned for up to five years from premises in Felixstowe.