Category: Branch News

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

We will meet at the Great Ale in the Vaults at 1.00pm. Moving on from the Vaults we will catch the 125 bus which goes along Chorley Old Road.
For those living within Greater Manchester the best option is a day ticket which can be purchased on the bus.

Leaving the Vaults, the next stop will be Bunbury’s. The next stop is Horwich.

Great Ale at the Vaults, Vaults Below Market Place, BL1 2AL, 2 changing ales, food available.

Bunbury’s, 397 Chorley Old Road, BL1 6AH, 3 changing ales and selection of bottles

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

It has been announced, with deep regret, that 2024’s festival has been postponed. The Great British Beer Festival will return in 2025, and work is already underway by organisers and volunteersexploring a variety of options for the future. More information here

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