My Burnley: Landlord of The Swan pub Craig Smith on the secret of its success

Licensee at The Swan pub in Burnley town centre, Craig and his team recently won the Best Long Serving Business award at the first ever Burnley town centre Customer Service Awards.

One of the town’s oldest pubs, The Swan is flying high and takings are up between £2,000 and £3,000 a week and every Friday and Saturday the town centre venue is packed to the rafters with customers who love the unique party atmosphere fuelled by the resident DJs.

Initially Craig, who is this week’s ‘My Burnley’ subject, started working at The Swan while he was at college and he enjoyed it so much he never left. Craig credits the success of The Swan down to it being like a proper ‘local’ pub in the heart of the town centre. He said: “Customers love the quirkiness of the pub and the fact it has so much history.”

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? My name is Craig Smith. I'm 39 years old and I am the licensee and business owner of The Swan public house in Burnley town centre.

How long have you lived/worked in Burnley? I have lived in Burnley all my life and I have been working at The Swan for 20 years this September.

Why did you choose to live/stay/work in Burnley? I started working at the pub part time whilst I was at college but I enjoyed the vibe and the people that much I’ve never left. I never thought I would do it as a life choice but I love the place and town so much that here I am.

What do you think are the best parts of the town? Burnley has some incredible areas with a rich history from our cotton industry heritage. From Cliviger, Worsthorne and Towneley to some great views of the surrounding areas, from the Singing Ringing Tree, there are some superb places to come and see.

Is there anything you dislike about Burnley? I don't like some of the bad press Burnley receives at times. The race riots from years ago seem to have given people a negative mindset about the town but they don't realise how much the town has grown and developed into what it is now and what great people we have that live and work in the town.

How would you describe Burnley to a visitor who has never been here before? Visitors should come to see what Burnley has to offer and I think they would be surprised how welcoming and friendly the people are. We have some fantastic local businesses to boast about, great places to see and not forgetting our Premier League Football Club. UTC