Category: Bolton Branch News

Our local social this time will take us to Horwich. We have some pubs that have opened in the past few months and are selling real ale. Catch the 125 bus to meet at the Bank Top Ale House at 1.00pm. Obviously the Ale House and Crown are not recently open, but both are worth a visit.

Bank Top Ale House, 36 Church St. BL6 6AD. A good selection of cask ale

JR’s Ale House, 176 Chorley New Road (could catch the 575 or 576 from Bolton to meet here approx. 1.45-2.00) A good selection of cask ales

Sparrows Rum Bar, 32 Winter Hay Lane, BL6 7AA, 2 cask ales

Victoria & Albert, 141 Lee Lane, BL6 7AF, 6 handpumps

Tails & Ale, 141 Lee Lane, BL6 7AG. 3 changing cask ales

Crown, 1 Chorley New Road, BL6 7QJ, 4 regular cask ales from Holts and 4 changing cask ales.

We will be visiting some of the well known pubs when we include Horwich in the Cider Trail

If you need any further details or need to contact on the day, please contact social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 07967585670

Annual General Meeting

Just a reminder that the branch’s AGM will be held at 8.00 p.m. on Thursday 7 November at the Spinning Mule, Nelson Square, Bolton BL1 1JT. Amongst other things, the meeting will be electing the branch officers to serve for the next twelve months. The list of current officers can be found on the branch website here and each of the officers has confirmed that they are willing to continue in their roles. That does not, however, prevent any other member from standing for those roles if they wish. In addition to the areas which are already covered, there are other roles which are vacant and for which nominations would be welcomed.

Like all branches, Bolton’s membership is weighted toward the older end of the spectrum and a Young Members’ Contact could help us to attract more younger people to the branch. I have also mentioned before that we have many clubs in the borough about which we hold very little information so a Clubs Co-ordinator who could gather this information and promote real ale in our clubs would be a boon. Click on the role description links to find out what’s involved. 

Budget

After what seemed like an eternity, the budget has finally happened and it was a mixed bag so far as the hospitality industry is concerned. CAMRA welcomes the one penny per pint cut in draught beer and cider duty, but given the price of a pint, I’m not sure drinkers will notice. A review of the business rates system was promised which, if it is done right, is also welcome, but the reduction in the business rates support from 75% to 40% from next April is bound to have an impact. 

The government also announced its intention to bring in measures to make it easier for small brewers to get their beers on the bar in pubs although how this is to be achieved is not yet clear.

It’s fair to say that the industry itself was not so impressed with the budget, citing concerns about the increases in the living wage and National Insurance having an impact on their costs.

How all this is reflected in the price of a pint and the choice of beer on the bar remains to be seen.

Champion Beer of Britain

Nominations for the Champion Beer of Britain 2026 close on Monday 4 November. Don’t miss your chance to put forward your favourite local or national beers for this prestigious prize. You can vote on the CAMRA website by clicking here.

Local MPs

Last week I had the opportunity to meet Phil Brickell, the recently elected MP for Bolton North East. Over a beer in the Bank Top Brewery Ale House, our current Pub of the Year, we talked about the budget, planning protection for pubs and competition issues. Phil was very sympatheitic to CAMRA’s concerns and is willing to raise them in Parliament on our behalf. I hope to get the chance to speak to our other two MPs soon.

CAMRA Website

The new CAMRA website, currently dubbed ‘the CAMRA Experience’ is now live and feedback on how it is working is welcomed. The site has pubs front and centre, with much more information about the beers available in those pubs. Some changes have been made to the way beer scoring is done and I will let you have more information about this next time. We will also update the guidance on the branch website. In the meantime you can still use the old WhatPub site which will be available for a while.  Beer scoring is a subject I mention frequently, but it is important as it forms the basis of how pubs are chosen for the Good Beer Guide. 

Well, it’s getting to that time of year when a pint in a warm pub or club is a welcome retreat from the colder weather and the darker evenings, so why not pull on your big coat, brave the elements and find out what treats your local has to offer in this season of mists and mellow fruitfulness?

Cheers!

John Mitchell – Chair

Meet at Bolton Station in time to catch 11.54 train to Stockport, change at Manchester Piccadilly arriving at 12.39 or meet at the Petersgate Tap at 13.00. The off-peak fare is £7.10 return. If using the bus to get to the station, there is a System One bus and train ticket for £9.40. Of course those who have a bus pass can use the train within Greater Manchester if they add train and tram to their bus pass for £10 for the year. We may not visit all pubs.

Start at  Petersgate Tap: 19a St Petersgate, SK1 1EB
Six changing cask beers. Cold pies from local butcher.
The next two are all in the Market Place a few doors apart.

Bakers Vaults: Market Place, SK1 1ES
Eight cask beers, five Robinson’s and three changing, usually from Titanic.
They let you bring in food from surrounding businesses. Possibly Old Tom will be on the bar.

Angel Inn: 20 Market Place,  SK1 1EY
One regular cask beer, Thornbridge Jaipur and five changing beers, including 2 dark.

Crown Inn: 154 Heaton Lane, SK4 1AR
Two regular beers. Three changing beers. Food available

The Magnet: 51 Wellington Road North, Heaton Norris, SK4 1HJ
Fourteen cask ales, one regular and 13 changing. 

Ye Old Vic: 1 Chetham Street, SK3 9ED.
6 changing beers. Doesn’t open until 5.00 unless Stockport playing at Home. This pub is opposite the station and is well worth a visit

If anyone is thinking of joining the group in Stockport please call for information about where we are; Gill 07967585670

Branch Meeting

Unfortunately, the October Branch Meeting due to be held this evening, 1 October, at the Beer School, Westhoughton, has had to be postponed, owing to a  leak at the premises. The good news is that the meeting will now take place next Tuesday, 8 October 2024 at 7.30 at the Beer School. The meeting will be followed by a beer themed quiz. Everyone is welcome, as always, and we will be hoping to attract some new members to join the branch.

Budget

The new Chancellor’s first Budget will be held on Wednesday 30 October and we want to see meaningful action taken to support pubs, social clubs, brewers, cider makers and consumers.

We’ve called for the Chancellor to make sure that the draught duty rate is able to realise its full potential by introducing a 20% difference between the tax paid on pints in pubs compared to supermarket alcohol. We’ve also asked the Government to stick by their manifesto committment to reform the unfair Business Rates system.

CAMRA has joined forces with industry leaders, the Society of Independent Brewers to send groundbreaking new economic modelling directly to the Treasury, showing the transformation a UK wide cut in duty charged on beer and cider served in pubs could bring.  

Our proposed 20% discount for tax on pints in pubs would create thousands of new jobs and put millions back into the economy, as consumers are encouraged to move from supermarket alcohol back to being able to support their local pubs and social clubs. We’ll also be taking the campaign to the heart of Parliament, holding events to lobby MPs directly over the next six weeks.

If you haven’t already done so, you can help by emailing your MP asking them to urge the Chancellor to support CAMRA’s position. The link below will take you to CAMRA’s main campaigning page where you can use the easy online tool. This will match you with your MP and give you a template email, which you can choose to edit or send straight away. It only takes a few minutes to get involved.

EMAIL YOUR MP

Cheers

John Mitchell

Chair 

Branch: Bolton

Our local social this time will take us to Harwood. We will be able to visit the newly open The Plough. Meet at the Bolton Bus Station to catch the 507 bus at 12.40. Stand E. We should arrive just before 13.00.  We will meet at the House without a name.  The stop is  Lea Gate (opposite Church Street)

House Without a Name, 75-77 Lea Gate, BL2 3ET, 2 changing beers

Nook & Cranny Tap House, 12 Gatefold BL2 3HN, 2 changing beers

Plough, 157 Lea Gate, BL2 4BQ, 2 changing beers

If anyone has suggestions about other pubs with cask, no on the list please let us know.

If you need any further details or need to contact on the day, please contact social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 07967585670

Welcome to your Bolton CAMRA Branch update. I hope you have been able to enjoy a pint or two in the outdoors despite the poor weather and days when the moon seemed to shine brighter than the sun!

Summer Pub of the Season

On the subject of summer, the branch has chosen the Thomas Egerton in Egerton as its Summer Pub of the Season so congratulations to the team there. A presentation of the award is being arranged so please watch our social media for details.

Branch Meetings

There won’t be a formal Branch meeting in September, however, an informal get together will be held on 12 September starting at the Olde Man and Scythe, Bolton at 8 p.m. and possibly moving on to other venues in the town centre as the evening progresses.

The October branch meeting will be held on TUESDAY 1 October at 7.30 p.m. at the Beer School, Westhoughton. The meeting will be followed by a beer themed quiz. Everyone is welcome, as always, and we will be hoping to attract some new members to join the branch.

General Election

The general election seems like a long time ago but we now have a new government in Westminster and two new MPs in Bolton. CAMRA is engaging with the new ministers who have responsibilities relevant to the Campaign. In particular, CAMRA will be pushing for greater legal protection for pubs one year on from the sudden demolition of the Crooked House pub in the Midlands. Further information on this can be found on CAMRA’s website here. I will be writing to our local MPs asking them to give their support to our local pubs, clubs and breweries.

CAMRA Experience

If anyone has looked at CAMRA’s national website recently, you will have noticed that it gives you the option of being redirected to the new website, known as the CAMRA Experience. The intention is to bring a number of separate websites (e.g. WhatPub and Learn and Discover) together so that they can be linked and accessed much more easily. The new version of WhatPub will also have a beer quality indicator giving pubs/clubs a score of one, two or three pint glasses. These scores will be based on the beer scores submitted by members. It is felt that showing scores this way will encourage licensees to keep their beer in the best condition. Beer scoring is the key to this and to ensure that our local cask ale outlets do not end up with three empty glasses, please score their beers when you visit. If you haven’t scored beers before, please read the guidance on how to do it on the branch website here.

Good Beer Guide

The Good Beer Guide is CAMRA’s flagship publication and the 2025 edition will be published in late September. Bolton has an allocation of thirteen pubs in the guide, but which pubs they are will not be revealed until the Guide is published. The branch is intending to hold a launch event on our around the publication date so please watch our social media for details.

Pub and Club News

The Victoria and Albert in Horwich is to reopen on 23 August after a major refurbishment. Up to five real ales will be on offer along with a cask cider. This should be another great addition to the already thriving real ale scene in Horwich.

Over in Harwood, the Seven Stars, now renamed the Plough, should be opening shortly following refurbishment. We are told cask ales will be on sale, adding to the allure of Harwood as a real ale drinker’s destination.

Astley Bridge Cricket Club will be holding its annual beer festival on 13,14 & 15 September. Nine ales and four ciders will be on offer. Entry is £5 including a glass and programme.

Maybe the often promised heatwave will materialise before Autumn sets in, but whatever the weather, a glass of cask ale in one of our local pubs and clubs will always make the day a little brighter.

Cheers

John Mitchell

Chair

Our August social will be in Bolton as it is easy to access by bus for many of us and we still have a couple of pubs to visit that we normally don’t visit and missed in our social in July. We can meet at One for the Road in the Market at 12.30-13.00. Food is available for anyone who wants to eat. The Greyhound is closed after the explosion, but should it be open again by 17 August we will call in.

One for the Road, Stalls F14 to F15 Ashburner Street Lifestyle Hall, BL1 1TJ, 2 changing ales.

Old Three Crowns, 14 Deansgate, BL1 1BR, Theakson Old Peculiar & 2 changing ales

Hogarths, 37-41, Churchgate, BL1 1HU, 2 changing ales

Prince Billy’s, 9-11 Bradshawgate, last time we called there was no cask, but we can call in again to check.

Northern Monkey Bar, Nelson Square, BL1 1AQ, 4 changing ales

If anyone has suggestions about other pubs with cask, we don’t visit please let us know.

If you need any further details or need to contact on the day, please contact social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 07967585670

A trip to Torrside is always a good day out. Catch the train from Bolton to New Mills Newtown. The walk to the Brewery is about three minutes. Meet at Bolton station to catch the 10.54

I have checked the trains from Bolton and there is a train at 10.54 which arrives at Torrside 12.26 (including a 35 minute at Manchester Piccadilly). This train has an advance ticket of £6.00. There are return tickets between 16.39 and 18.10 which also has reduced advance tickets.

I suggest you look at the National Rail website to work out which is the best ticket option for you. Those with Bus and Train passes can travel most of the journey for free if they have the £10 train addition to the GM bus pass.

There is a slight possibility of action by ASLEF which could result in some trains being cancelled but it shouldn’t cause major disruption.

If you need any further details or need to contact on the day, please contact social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 07967585670

June Branch Meeting

The next branch meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 June 2024 at the Blackedge Brewery Bar, Moreton Mill, Hampson Street, Horwich, BL6 7JH. The evening will start with the presentation to the bar of the Pub of the Year Runner-up Award at 7.30pm and the meeting will follow at 8.00pm. 

General Election

As I am sure you will have heard, a General Election has been called for the 4 July 2024. CAMRA has set out its Manifesto for  the election and its demands from the new government are:

Improved consumer rights – Consumers don’t currently have a right to clear information about the ingredients, price, dispense, or information about where drinks have come from and who owns the brands on the bar. We’d like to see this introduced by the next Government so consumers can make an informed choice about the products they choose, as well as a new consumer right to a full pint – which isn’t currently the law.

Access to market for small and independent producers – The pub market is largely owned by a few big players, making it harder for small, independent beer and cider makers to get their products in front of consumers. The next Government should work to open the market up, supporting these producers and creating more consumer choice.

Fair tax – The next Government should maximise the benefits of the new draught duty rate by extending the difference between tax paid on draught beer and cider in the pub and that sold in off-licenses and supermarkets. We’d also like to see them reduce VAT on beer and cider sold in the on-trade. Both these steps recognise and encourage the social benefits of consuming beer, cider and perry on licensed premises.

Planning protections for pubs – The next Government should improve planning protection and enforcement in England to prevent viable and valued pubs and social clubs being lost to unfair or unwanted demolition or conversion without serious and consistent consequences – including the power to order pubs to be rebuilt brick by brick if necessary.

Business rates reform – To recognise the community value of pubs, the next Government should undertake a full review of business rates in England to fix the unfair overpayment by the pub sector permanently and to make sure that online businesses pay their fair share compared to bricks-and-mortar businesses like pubs and social clubs.

Further information can be seen here  and an e-lobby of candidates will be launched in the next week or so. In the meantime, if candidates come knocking on your door, why not take the opportunity to ask them what they would do, if elected, to protect Bolton’s pubs and clubs and encourage a thriving hospitality sector in the borough.

Pub Closures

The CAMRA Branch is consulted as a matter of course on any planning application submitted to the Council which affects a pub in the borough. We receive a steady trickle of notifications about pubs being converted to other uses, most commonly houses of multiple occupation or nurseries. Often the pubs have been closed for some time and sold on by the pub company and there is only a slim prospect of their being brought back to life as pubs. Nevertheless, CAMRA will still respond to the consultation, particularly if it involves the loss of a community asset.

Not all the pubs are closed, however. You may have seen in the Bolton News and on the BBC recently that the Cotton Tree in Halliwell is under threat of closure and conversion to a nursery. The news coverage shows that the regulars are very concerned about the loss of what they feel is a valued community facility. CAMRA is willing to be involved in campaigns to save our local pubs but it needs regulars willing to take on the fight. If you find your local pub is in danger of being lost forever and you want to take action to stop it becoming another closure statistic, CAMRA can advise on the practicalities of campaigning to save a pub, options available, and how to use the planning system to combat unwanted change. The CAMRA branch also has local knowledge of the relevant contacts to help you get in touch with the right people. The branch can be contacted at pubs@bolton.camra.org.uk and guidance can be accessed here.

 Summer of Sport

The UEFA European Football Championships kick off in June and the government has allowed pubs to open longer should England get through to the later stages of the tournament. This should provide a welcome boost for the hospitality industry as fans head to the pub to cheer on their team. 

Football isn’t everyone’s thing, of course, and there are plenty of pubs and clubs in the borough where you can enjoy a tipple watching, or playing, cricket, rugby, darts and even bridge so hopefully there’s something out there for everyone. If you’re enjoying a real ale in any of these venues please remember to update WhatPub and score the beers.

Cheers!

John Mitchell

Chair

The next social will be on 22 June. It will be local, and we can meet at One for the Road at 1.00pm. From there we can decide which other pubs to visit.

One for the Road, Stalls F14 to F15 Ashburner Street Lifestyle Hall, BL1 1TJ, 2 changing ales. Food available in the market.

For further information contact Gill social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 0796758567