Category: Branch News

Welcome to your latest Bolton CAMRA Branch Update

Annual General Meeting

Bolton CAMRA Branch held its Annual General Meeting on the 2 November 2023. Members can see the minutes of the meeting here. One of the purposes of the meeting is to appoint people to the various roles within the branch. Graham Walsh, the chair of the branch had already decided to stand down and I would like to thank Graham for all his hard work in steering the branch through the last 8 years. This included guiding us through the pandemic when Bolton suffered repeated restrictions and branch meetings and socials had to move online. I am delighted that Graham will remain active in the branch as Pub Promotions & Awards Co-ordinator.

There are still a number of vacancies for roles within the branch and if you would like to get involved in promoting real ale, cider and perry and the pubs and clubs where we drink it, have a look at the Volunteering page on our website here.

Meetings and Socials

The next branch meeting will be on 11 January 2024 at the Spinning Mule, Bolton. Although there is no branch meeting in December, there are two socials to compensate. The first is on Saturday 16 December in Bolton Town Centre and on Friday 29 December we will have a Yuletide trip to Wigan. Details are on our website and everyone is welcome.

Good Beer Guide

At the January branch meeting we will be presenting the longlist of nominations for the Good Beer Guide 2025. This list is based on beer scores provided by CAMRA members throughout the last year. Any member can score beers so if you would like to have an input into which pubs get selected, make sure you record your score using WhatPub.com. You can get guidance on how to score beers  here. Full details of the selection process for the Good Beer Guide can be found here. 

Campaigning

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in November contained some good news for the hospitality industry with continued support for business rates and a duty freeze until next August. However, there was a missed opportunity to cut the duty on draught beer and cider to encourage pubgoing during this difficult time when pubs and clubs are struggling with the cost of energy and other overheads. I would like to thank all those members who wrote to their MP ahead of the statement seeking support for our pubs and breweries.

Having consulted on the introduction of a Late Night Levy earlier in the year, Bolton Council will be consulting again on a revised scheme, following a change in the law. Late Night Levies are paid by premises holding a late licence to contribute to policing costs. Whilst recognising the need to regulate aspects of the night-time economy, CAMRA is generally opposed to these schemes as they impose an additional burden on small businesses and rarely have the impact intended. We will consider our response once the new consultation is published.

Details of all our campaigns can be found on the Campaigning Page of the branch website.

Season Greetings

Finally, I would like to wish all our members and their loved ones a Merry Christmas. Although a pub is not just for Christmas, it is a great time to get down to your local to meet friends and family and raise a glass or two of locally brewed real ale, cider or perry.

Cheers!

John Mitchell

Chair

Travel to Wigan by bus or train depending on which is easiest. We will meet in Wigan Central at around 13.00 for a beer or two before visiting some, or all, of the pubs listed below. If catching the train from Bolton Station trains leave at 12.32 or 12.48 arriving 12.49 and 13.06 respectively (off peak return fare £6.20).  Catch the 575 bus from Bolton at 11.50 (12.10) calling at the Crown, Horwich at 12.17 (12.37) arriving in Wigan at 12.53 (13.13) Later bus in brackets

Wigan Central, Arch No. 1 and 2, Queen Street, WN3 4DY. 6 changing ales

Swan & Railway, 80 Wallgate, WN1 1BA, 7 handpumps with 4 changing beers

Real Crafty, 9 Upper Dicconson Street, WN1 2AD, 4 changing beers

There are plenty of other pubs in Wigan, so this list is just suggestions. If your favourite is not on the list let us know on the day and we can visit. If you need any further details, please contact social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 07967585670. If you arrive after the start of the social, please contact Gill to find out where the group are at that time.

Gill Smart, Social Secretary

The cider trail will start in Westhoughton where we visit the Blackedge Brewery Tap and The Beer School.  Moving on to Horwich we visit B33R@33 and The Blackedge Brewery Bar. After Horwich for those catching the bus back to Bolton it would be good to stop at Bunburys on Chorley Old Road.

Meet at the Brewery Tap in Westhoughton 1pm

Travelling from Bolton catch either the 520 bus from the Interchange at 12.20 arriving in Westhoughton at 12.55, or the number 7 bus from the interchange at 12.40 arriving in Westhoughton at 13.08 . There is also the option of a train from Bolton which runs regularly.

Travelling from Horwich catch 516 bus at Horwich bottom of Brownlow Road arriving in Market Street Westhoughton at 13.08. This bus runs every hour.

The Brewery Tap, 55 Market St. BL5 3AG, a good selection of real cider.

The Beer School, 88 Market St. BL5 3AZ, 4 real ciders.

Catch the 14.39 bus to Horwich, arriving in Horwich at 15.15

B33R@33, 33 Lee Lane, BL6 7AX cider on handpump and bag-in-box

Brewery Bar, Moreton Mill, Hampson Street, BL6 7JH, a selection of ciders on handpump and bag-in-box

Catch the 125 bus from Horwich to Bolton and call at for a cider at Bunbury’s

Bunbury’s, 397 Chorley Old Road, BL1 6AH, bag-in-box cider

There are other pubs. If there is a favourite let the group know. Although this is a cider trail don’t let that put anyone off who does not like cider. All the pubs mentioned have a good selection of real ale.

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