Holly Napier, Zita Wright, Charlotte Nairnes, Ross Walker and Charlie Robson are awarded the National Pubwatch Bravery & Meritorious Conduct Award for their actions to prevent the suicide of a female customer.
The incident occurred in the Bishops Mill Wetherspoons Durham on Friday 16 January 2026 at approximately 6.00pm.
Holly Napier had finished her shift and was having a drink after work. While in the ladies’ toilets, she noticed a pair of legs on the floor in the adjacent cubicle. She could hear a mobile phone ringing continuously, with no response from the person inside the cubicle. Concerned by the situation. Holly immediately informed the female duty manager, Zita Wright.
Zita attended the scene with other colleagues and managed to force the toilet door slightly ajar. Through the gap, she saw a young girl slumped on the floor with string wrapped multiple times around her neck. She immediately radioed for a pair of scissors to be brought to the ladies’ toilets.
Her colleague Charlotte placed her fingers between the string and the girl’s neck to relieve pressure. Zita activated her body camera, took the scissors from Charlie, and cut the string from around the girl’s neck. In minutes of the string being cut, the young girl started to recover. Zita spoke to her calmly, reassuring her until the ambulance arrived. By the time the girl was taken from the premises, she was conscious and speaking to the ambulance crew.
At peak trading time with approximately 350 customers in the bar, the Wetherspoons team worked collaboratively to provide reassurance, prevent customer access to the toilets and to liaise effectively with the emergency services. The situation was made more difficult because poor mobile coverage meant that calls kept dropping out and that the ambulance needed assistance to gain entry to the venue through a pedestrianised area.
Unfortunately Charlotte Nairnes and Charlie Robson were unable to attend the ceremony and their manager Guy Stoker accepted the awards on their behalf.
