Category: Branch News

There is a rail strike on 6 April. The social has been changed to Chorley.

The 125 bus runs from Bolton Interchange every 15 minutes. 125 buses leave Bolton Interchange from stand P every 10 minutes with the journey taking just under one hour.  A Central Lancs Day Rider costs 5.90. which would allow a stop off in Horwich on the way home if required. Bus times 11.59 (12.14) arriving in Chorley at 12.53(13.08). Catching the bus in Horwich outside the Ale House the times are 12.25 (12.40)

Meet at the Malt’n’Hops at 13.00 where sandwiches and pies are available at very reasonable prices.

Malt’n’Hops, 50-52 Friday Street, PR6 0AA – 7 changing ales

Shepherd’s Hall Ale House,  67 Chapel Street, PR7 1BS – 8 changing ales

Ale Station, 60 Chapel St. PR7 1BS, 6 changing ales

Nelipots, 53 Chapel Street, PR7 1BU – 2 changing ales

Bob Inn, 24 Market Place, PR7 1DA –  3 real ales, 1 real cider

Flat Iron, (formerly Market Tavern), 21 Cleveland Street, PR7 1BH – 3 real ales, 1 cider

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

There is a rail strike on 6 April. The social has been changed to Chorley.

The 125 bus runs from Bolton Interchange every 15 minutes. 125 buses leave Bolton Interchange from stand P every 10 minutes with the journey taking just under one hour.  A Central Lancs Day Rider costs 5.90. which would allow a stop off in Horwich on the way home if required. Bus times 11.59 (12.14) arriving in Chorley at 12.53(13.08). Catching the bus in Horwich outside the Ale House the times are 12.25 (12.40)

Meet at the Malt’n’Hops at 13.00 where sandwiches and pies are available at very reasonable prices.

Malt’n’Hops, 50-52 Friday Street, PR6 0AA – 7 changing ales

Shepherd’s Hall Ale House,  67 Chapel Street, PR7 1BS – 8 changing ales

Ale Station, 60 Chapel St. PR7 1BS, 6 changing ales

Nelipots, 53 Chapel Street, PR7 1BU – 2 changing ales

Bob Inn, 24 Market Place, PR7 1DA –  3 real ales, 1 real cider

Flat Iron, (formerly Market Tavern), 21 Cleveland Street, PR7 1BH – 3 real ales, 1 cider

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

April Branch Meeting

The next branch meeting will be held on 4 April 2024 at the Spinning Mule Nelson Square, Bolton. The meeting will begin with a presentation by a member of the team at Lord’s Brewing Company  of Huddersfield who are brewing some ales exclusively for J D Wetherspoon. Members should have the opportunity to taste the beers and hear about how they are made. This will be followed by a short branch meeting. Please note the earlier starting time of 7pm.

Awards Season

With the Oscars out of the way, it’s now the turn of Bolton CAMRA Branch to hand out its awards for the Pub, Cider Pub and Club of the Year. The winners this year are:

Pub of the Year

Winner – Bank Top Brewery Ale House, Horwich.
Runner-up – Blackedge Brewery Bar, also in Horwich.

Cider Pub of the Year

Winner – Beer School, Westhoughton.
Runner-up –   B33R@33, Horwich.

Club of the Year

Winner – Bolton Ukrainian Social Club, Bolton.
Joint Runners-up – Bradshaw Cricket Club.
                               Heaton Cricket Club.

Congratulations to the winners and finalists. Presentations are being arranged and everyone is welcome to come along and celebrate the best real ale outlets in the Bolton branch area. Check the branch website for details. 

Spring Budget

The Chancellor delivered the Spring Budget on 6th March 2024. 
 
CAMRA’s key ask was a significant 20% reduction in the duty charged on draught beer and cider to help consumers, pubs and small brewers. We also used the opportunity to push our other messages including a VAT cut and changes to the rules around draught takeaway sales from draught duty-paid containers. 

There were three relevant announcements made by the Chancellor: 
•    Alcohol duty will be frozen until February 2025 for all types of alcohol.
•    New funding for community ventures – which we are hoping will include pubs.
•    Increase in the VAT registration threshold for small businesses – though this may not help the majority of breweries, cider producers and pubs.

Whilst these measures were welcome, the general feeling was that this was a missed opportunity to give real support to the hospitality industry during these difficult times. CAMRA’s press release can be read here.

Save Your Local Pub

CAMRA has recently released data on the number of pub closures during 2023. The headline figures show that 1293 pub businesses closed last year with 194 either demolished or converted to other uses. Bolton is not immune from this trend with a number of pubs closed, either waiting for new tenants/managers or in the worst cases, being the subject of planning applications for a change of use. On the positive side, there continues to be a steady stream of new openings – 296 across the country in 2023 – but the overall picture is still pretty gloomy.

If you find your local pub is in danger of being lost forever and you want to take action to stop it becoming another of these statistics, CAMRA may be able to help. Nationally, CAMRA has guides that can provide  in-depth support and advice 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 whilst the national guides can be accessed here.

The thing to remember is that in order to keep drinking quality real ale, we need places to drink it. The best way to make sure your local pub thrives is to keep supporting it, so, as the first signs of Spring appear and the evenings get lighter, why not head out to your local pub or club and enjoy a pint or two. 

Cheers!

Thanks
John Mitchell
Chair 

April Branch Meeting

The next branch meeting will be held on 4 April 2024 at the Spinning Mule Nelson Square, Bolton. The meeting will begin with a presentation by a member of the team at Lord’s Brewing Company  of Huddersfield who are brewing some ales exclusively for J D Wetherspoon. Members should have the opportunity to taste the beers and hear about how they are made. This will be followed by a short branch meeting. Please note the earlier starting time of 7pm.

Awards Season

With the Oscars out of the way, it’s now the turn of Bolton CAMRA Branch to hand out its awards for the Pub, Cider Pub and Club of the Year. The winners this year are:

Pub of the Year

Winner – Bank Top Brewery Ale House, Horwich.
Runner-up – Blackedge Brewery Bar, also in Horwich.

Cider Pub of the Year

Winner – Beer School, Westhoughton.
Runner-up –   B33R@33, Horwich.

Club of the Year

Winner – Bolton Ukrainian Social Club, Bolton.
Joint Runners-up – Bradshaw Cricket Club.
                               Heaton Cricket Club.

Congratulations to the winners and finalists. Presentations are being arranged and everyone is welcome to come along and celebrate the best real ale outlets in the Bolton branch area. Check the branch website for details. 

Spring Budget

The Chancellor delivered the Spring Budget on 6th March 2024. 
 
CAMRA’s key ask was a significant 20% reduction in the duty charged on draught beer and cider to help consumers, pubs and small brewers. We also used the opportunity to push our other messages including a VAT cut and changes to the rules around draught takeaway sales from draught duty-paid containers. 

There were three relevant announcements made by the Chancellor: 
•    Alcohol duty will be frozen until February 2025 for all types of alcohol.
•    New funding for community ventures – which we are hoping will include pubs.
•    Increase in the VAT registration threshold for small businesses – though this may not help the majority of breweries, cider producers and pubs.

Whilst these measures were welcome, the general feeling was that this was a missed opportunity to give real support to the hospitality industry during these difficult times. CAMRA’s press release can be read here.

Save Your Local Pub

CAMRA has recently released data on the number of pub closures during 2023. The headline figures show that 1293 pub businesses closed last year with 194 either demolished or converted to other uses. Bolton is not immune from this trend with a number of pubs closed, either waiting for new tenants/managers or in the worst cases, being the subject of planning applications for a change of use. On the positive side, there continues to be a steady stream of new openings – 296 across the country in 2023 – but the overall picture is still pretty gloomy.

If you find your local pub is in danger of being lost forever and you want to take action to stop it becoming another of these statistics, CAMRA may be able to help. Nationally, CAMRA has guides that can provide  in-depth support and advice 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 whilst the national guides can be accessed here.

The thing to remember is that in order to keep drinking quality real ale, we need places to drink it. The best way to make sure your local pub thrives is to keep supporting it, so, as the first signs of Spring appear and the evenings get lighter, why not head out to your local pub or club and enjoy a pint or two. 

Cheers!

Thanks
John Mitchell
Chair 

This social the visit takes us to the Ribblesdale Tap, the new pub from Blackedge Brewery which opened in December. From Blackburn the social goes on to Darwen before returning to Bolton. The Ribblesdale Tap opens at 12.30. Meeting at the Tap at 13.00ish

There is a choice of bus or train.

Bus: Catch the No 1 bus 11.33 (11.53) from the Interchange arriving in Blackburn at 12.33 (12.53)

Train: Catch the train from Bolton Station at 11.35(12.04) arriving at 12.03(12.34) As the social is calling at Darwen on the way back to Bolton you will need to work out which ticket is the best for you. Its Northern Trains so there are also duo tickets.

Blackburn:

Ribblesdale Tap, 35 Northgate, BB2 1JU

Drummers Arms, 65 King William ST., BB1 7TD, 2 regular ales and 4 changing

Rock Box, 63 King William St., BB1 7DT, 2 changing ales

Darwen:

Darwen Tap, 47 Blackburn Road, BB3 1EJ, 4 changing cask ales

Loom & Shuttle, 165 Duckworth St. BB3 1AT, Mayflower Tap with 4 Ales

Bird in th’hand, 225 Duckworth St. BB3 1AU, 4 changing ales

Number 39, 39-41 Bridge St. BB3 2AA, 4 Hopstar plus 1 changing

There are many more pubs in Darwen so the list can be changed if other pubs are worth a visit.

If you need more information email me social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call me on the day of the social; Gill 07967585670

This social the visit takes us to the Ribblesdale Tap, the new pub from Blackedge Brewery which opened in December. From Blackburn the social goes on to Darwen before returning to Bolton. The Ribblesdale Tap opens at 12.30. Meeting at the Tap at 13.00ish

There is a choice of bus or train.

Bus: Catch the No 1 bus 11.33 (11.53) from the Interchange arriving in Blackburn at 12.33 (12.53)

Train: Catch the train from Bolton Station at 11.35(12.04) arriving at 12.03(12.54) As the social is calling at Darwen on the way back to Bolton you will need to work out which ticket is the best for you. Its Northern Trains so there are also duo tickets.

Blackburn:

Ribblesdale Tap, 35 Northgate, BB2 1JU

Darwen:

Darwen Tap, 47 Blackburn Road, BB3 1EJ, 4 changing cask ales

Loom & Shuttle, 165 Duckworth St. BB3 1AT, Mayflower Tap with 4 Ales

Bird in th’hand, 225 Duckworth St. BB3 1AU, 4 changing ales

Number 39, 39-41 Bridge St. BB3 2AA, 4 Hopstar plus 1 changing

There are many more pubs in Darwen so the list can be changed if other pubs are worth a visit.

If you need more information email me social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call me on the day of the social; Gill 07967585670

The Colliers at Aspull is Escape Brewery Tap.

The 575 bus from Bolton stops just outside the Colliers making it easy to get to.  The pub opens at 2.00pm and we plan to meet there at 2.00-2.30. The 575 leaves Bolton Interchange 13.10 (13.30) calling at Horwich 13.37 (13.57) Winter Hey Lane or 13.39 (13.59) Horwich Crown arriving at The Colliers at 13.58 (14.18). The second time in brackets is the next bus times.

Colliers Arms, 192 Wigan Road, Aspull, WN2 1DU, 4 changing ales

Returning, we can stop in Horwich to sample beers at one or two of the pubs in the town. (If you want to!)

Bank Top Brewery Ale House, 36 Church Street, BL6 6AD, 4 regular ales and 5 changing.

B33R@33, 33 Lee Lane, BL6 7AX, 2 changing ales plus selection of Keg.

Blackedge, Brewery Bar, Moreton Mill, Hampson Street, BL6 7JH, selection of Blackedge beers on the bar and ciders

The Crown, 1 Chorley New Road, BL6 7QJ, 4 regular ales and 4 changing

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 Colliers at Aspull is Escape Brewery Tap.

The 575 bus from Bolton stops just outside the Colliers making it easy to get to.  The pub opens at 2.00pm and we plan to meet there at 2.00-2.30. The 575 leaves Bolton Interchange 13.10 (13.30) calling at Horwich 13.37 (13.57) Winter Hey Lane or 13.39 (13.59) Horwich Crown arriving at The Colliers at 13.58 (14.18). The second time in brackets is the next bus times.

Colliers Arms, 192 Wigan Road, Aspull, WN2 1DU, 4 changing ales

Returning, we can stop in Horwich to sample beers at one or two of the pubs in the town. (If you want to!)

Bank Top Brewery Ale House, 36 Church Street, BL6 6AD, 4 regular ales and 5 changing.

B33R@33, 33 Lee Lane, BL6 7AX, 2 changing ales plus selection of Keg.

Blackedge, Brewery Bar, Moreton Mill, Hampson Street, BL6 7JH, selection of Blackedge beers on the bar and ciders

The Crown, 1 Chorley New Road, BL6 7QJ, 4 regular ales and 4 changing

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

What has the New Year got in store?

Well 2024 is well under way and I hope members had an enjoyable festive season. I also hope you have been able to visit our pubs and clubs during January to help them through what is generally considered a lean time for the hospitality industry. Even if you are participating in Dry January there is no reason not to visit your local pub or club and investigate the ever growing range of low and no-alcohol beers being produced by quality brewers these days.

For the last couple of years, new bar openings have almost kept pace with closures, however it is anticipated that this year we may see the overall number of pubs and clubs decreasing, so your support is more vital than ever.

Meetings and Socials

The next Branch meeting will take place this coming Thursday, 1st February at the Millstone, Crown Street, Bolton. At the meeting we will be voting for the branch’s entries for the Good Beer Guide 2025 and the Winter Pub of the Season. You can also vote online if you prefer. Details of how to do this are below.

The next social will be a trip on the 125 bus route from Bolton to Horwich on the 10th February, taking in a number of pubs on the way. Everyone is welcome and if you’d like to come along we’ll be meeting at Great Ale at the Vaults in the Market Place in the Town Centre at 1p.m. More details here.

Good Beer Guide/Pub and Club Awards

Online voting is under way to select the branch’s 13 entries for the Good Beer Guide 2025. The shortlist of pubs and voting forms can be found here. The deadline for online voting is midnight on Tuesday 30 January but if you would prefer to vote in person you can do so at the Branch meeting on 1st February. Full details of the selection process for the Good Beer Guide can be found here.

On the same page, you can also cast your vote for the Winter Pub of the Season. The deadline for online voting for this award is midnight on Wednesday 31 January.

You have more time to cast your vote for the Cider Pub of the Year and Club of the Year as these votes do not close until early March which gives you plenty of time to visit the nominees and sample what they have to offer.

Campaigning

The Chancellor has been dropping hints about tax cuts in the March budget but whether those tax cuts will benefit our hard pressed hospitality industry remains to be seen. CAMRA will be campigning on this ahead of the budget and will be asking you to write to your MP urging more support for pubs and clubs to keep them going through the current difficulties.

There are also going to be elections this year. There will be local elections in May and almost certainly a general election before the year is out. We will take these opportunities to press politicians both local and national to support policies which allow us to enjoy a good, reasonably priced pint in our local.

Cheers!

Thanks

John Mitchell

Chair

What has the New Year got in store?

Well 2024 is well under way and I hope members had an enjoyable festive season. I also hope you have been able to visit our pubs and clubs during January to help them through what is generally considered a lean time for the hospitality industry. Even if you are participating in Dry January there is no reason not to visit your local pub or club and investigate the ever growing range of low and no-alcohol beers being produced by quality brewers these days.

For the last couple of years, new bar openings have almost kept pace with closures, however it is anticipated that this year we may see the overall number of pubs and clubs decreasing, so your support is more vital than ever.

Meetings and Socials

The next Branch meeting will take place this coming Thursday, 1st February at the Millstone, Crown Street, Bolton. At the meeting we will be voting for the branch’s entries for the Good Beer Guide 2025 and the Winter Pub of the Season. You can also vote online if you prefer. Details of how to do this are below.

The next social will be a trip on the 125 bus route from Bolton to Horwich on the 10th February, taking in a number of pubs on the way. Everyone is welcome and if you’d like to come along we’ll be meeting at Great Ale at the Vaults in the Market Place in the Town Centre at 1p.m. More details here.

Good Beer Guide/Pub and Club Awards

Online voting is under way to select the branch’s 13 entries for the Good Beer Guide 2025. The shortlist of pubs and voting forms can be found here. The deadline for online voting is midnight on Tuesday 30 January but if you would prefer to vote in person you can do so at the Branch meeting on 1st February. Full details of the selection process for the Good Beer Guide can be found here.

On the same page, you can also cast your vote for the Winter Pub of the Season. The deadline for online voting for this award is midnight on Wednesday 31 January.

You have more time to cast your vote for the Cider Pub of the Year and Club of the Year as these votes do not close until early March which gives you plenty of time to visit the nominees and sample what they have to offer.

Campaigning

The Chancellor has been dropping hints about tax cuts in the March budget but whether those tax cuts will benefit our hard pressed hospitality industry remains to be seen. CAMRA will be campigning on this ahead of the budget and will be asking you to write to your MP urging more support for pubs and clubs to keep them going through the current difficulties.

There are also going to be elections this year. There will be local elections in May and almost certainly a general election before the year is out. We will take these opportunities to press politicians both local and national to support policies which allow us to enjoy a good, reasonably priced pint in our local.

Cheers!

Thanks

John Mitchell

Chair