Staff at pubs in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire are raising their glasses after being named as finalists in a national contest.

Kilty Kilty, in Paisley, Bar Varia, in Renfrew, and The Kelburn, in Barrhead, have all been shortlisted in the Best Bar None (BBN) Scotland Awards.

BBN is a national accreditation aimed at raising standards and acknowledges the best practices on offer at 430 venues across Scotland.

Bar Varia, the Tyrolean-styled beer hall and restaurant in the Snow Factor complex at Braehead, has been shortlisted in the Independent Bar category.

It is the third year in a row that the venue has been nominated for the awards, leaving manager Michael McManus delighted.

He said: “I’m really pleased about the nomination. Being recognised three years in a row just shows the consistency of what my team do and it means we are being recognised for doing our job well.

“We’re up against some of the biggest brands in the country, so it’s good that we keep getting acknowledged.”

Kilty Kilty has been nominated for the Social Responsibility award in recognition of a project that aims to keep late-night revellers safe.

Pub owner Alyson Finnigan came up with the idea of the Night Café as she was concerned about customers’ experiences of getting home once they left her premises.

The initiative means that, once Kilty Kilty stops serving alcohol, customers inside are welcome to wait, order a soft drink and a snack from the kitchen and wait on a taxi, which is ordered by door staff via a specially-designed app.

Alyson said: “I would like to think we’ve got a good chance to win this year.”

The Kelburn, which has been serving Barrhead for around four decades, has been nominated for the Heart of the Community award.

Sandra Kirk, who owns the pub with her sister Diane Lee, said: “Our staff are very dedicated and we always try to treat everyone with respect.

“It would be lovely if we were to win.”

The awards ceremony will take place at the Dunblane Hydro Hotel on Thursday, March 29.