Category: Events

CAMRA responds to the decision to extend COVID rules for takeaway pints

Commenting on the Government’s decision to extend COVID rules for takeaway pints, CAMRA Chief Executive Tom Stainer said: 

“It’s a good sign that the Government has listened and decided to backtrack on their plans to end the automatic permission for pubs to make off-sales. We hope that they have also been listening very carefully to the trade and consumers, who are also calling for a relaxation of the new tax rules around draught takeaway sales, which restrict many publicans from selling takeaway beer and cider regardless of whether their license allows them to do so. This is because the new rules force them to buy separate containers of draught beers and ciders, with a higher rate of duty paid on them if they want to sell them for takeaway. We are hopeful that the Government will remove these unnecessary restrictions soon.”

Thousands of pubs could face extinction 

In 2017 CAMRA helped win landmark planning protection for pubs in England, but this is under threat from a new Government proposal that would give permitted development rights for vacant high street pubs. High Street Rental Auction proposals could see developers convert high street pubs, with no way for communities to have their say. Email your MP today and ask them to stand up for high street pubs.

£2 bus fare extension good news for pubs

Government’s decision to extend cheaper bus fares in England will help keep pub-going affordable 

Speaking after the Department for Transport announced an extension to the capped £2 single journey bus fare in England until the end of October, CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona commented: 

“£2 bus fares have helped to make getting to and from the pub more affordable. At a time when the beer and pub trade needs as much support as it can get, the decision to extend the cheap fares scheme until the end of October is undoubtedly good news. 

“Our local pubs, social clubs, breweries and cider producers are vital parts of community life up and down the country. That’s why CAMRA’s Summer of Pub campaign is encouraging as many people as possible to head down to their local this summer to enjoy the community spirit that only a pint of real ale or cider down the pub can bring. 

“We hope that the extended £2 bus fare scheme will help more people to support their locals over the next few months in an affordable and environmentally friendly way.” 

We need your help

Well, it’s just over three weeks until the Lincoln Beer Festival opens and, at the moment, we are looking a bit thin on the ground for volunteers.  If you are planning to help, please complete your forms sooner rather than later, so you can put the Volunteer Manager’s mind at ease.

If you have already applied via email or web form, you will receive an email in the coming week or two.  Please encourage your friends and family to come along and help too.  As the saying goes, many hands make light work. 

Check this website over the next couple of days for a list of areas where we are short of volunteers.

Strugglers Inn is still Lincoln CAMRA’s top pub

The Lincoln Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has chosen Lincoln’s Strugglers Inn as their top pub for the second successive year. This is a notable achievement, given that long-term landlady, Anna, retired last year and Emma Blacklock has taken over.

The Lincoln Branch area covers a large part of the county which includes Market Rasen, Woodhall Spa and Leadenham, as well as Lincoln itself. It contains over 200 pubs.

The Pub of the Year competition was divided into two categories, with CAMRA members voting for their favourite city pub and their favourite from the rest of the Branch area. Five judges then visited the top three city and top three country pubs to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, the service and community focus.

Standing in the shadow of Lincoln Castle, the Strugglers Inn is popular with locals and visitors alike. The walls of the two rooms are festooned with old photographs and the ceilings are covered with pump clips. The sunken garden is a sun trap. The numerous guest beers offer a range of styles and strengths, and local brews always feature.

One of the judges described the Strugglers as, “Very near perfect. A great range of ale and staff with the knowledge and enthusiasm to promote it.”

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “It’s a real tribute to Emma and the staff that the change of management has happened so seamlessly.”

The runner-up in the overall Pub of the Year competition is Lincoln’s Joiners Arms, and the Country Pub of the Year is the Dambusters Inn at Scampton. The other pubs in the final were Lincoln’s Tiny Tavern, the Anglers in Saxilby and the Butcher & Beast in Heighington.

The Strugglers Inn now goes forward to the Lincolnshire round of the competition, where it will be up against the winners from the Gainsborough, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Louth, Grantham and Fenland CAMRA Branches.

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