Chairman’s Corner Welcome back Welcome back to the newsletter of the Peterborough and District Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale after an absence of 18 months. Over this period we have seen the COVID pandemic force two lockdowns which has put tremendous strain on the food and drink industry… and most importantly meant we did not run the Peterborough Beer Festival in 2020 or this year. Over the past two months, visiting many pubs, I think the most common question asked of me is if and when the next Beer Festival will be held. It is of course our intention to run the Festival on the Embankment in August 2022… but there are a number of challenges we need to overcome to make this a reality is my answer.
Candidates for the position need to be known well in advance of the AGM when we will vote my successor in.
Pub of the Year and Annual General Meeting
I encourage all readers to please carry on supporting the pubs and breweries which are trying to recover after the massive challenge of the pandemic. As I write this I know of only a few which have closed but realise there are many more struggling who desperately need your support.
We decided that due to the lockdown there would be no voting for a Pub of the Year for 2021 or Annual General Meeting last December. However, we hope to have both this year with AGM set for Monday 6th December at the Yard of Ale on Oundle Road, and the voting forms for the Pub of the Year to be sent out to CAMRA members in late October. There will be more pubs to vote for than in previous years with the likes of the Goat at Frognall and the Ostrich in Peterborough in the mix. As well as asking for POTY votes we need your nominations for the 2023 Good Beer Guide so please go out and support the trade with your custom, telling us through these forms which you feel are best! This year I have decided to stand down as Chairman, so am looking for any willing volunteers to take my place. If you have an interest in the position please feel free to discuss it with any of the committee (see details in the back of BAE) or email: info@peterborough.camra.org.uk.
Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk
Peterborough Pubs
I have tried to get around as many pubs as possible since lockdown was lifted and made all the pubs on the Ale Trail 2021 within a couple of days. A massive thanks to the Beer Festival Organiser Mike Lane for arranging the 2020 and 2021 trails with over 25 people completing them in each year. There were a few pubs omitted from the trail due to numbers - these included the Fox and Hounds at Longthorpe, which hosted its first ever Beer Festival in August, and the Blind Tiger in Cowgate, which introduced real ales for the first time.
Closing Messages
I personally will carry on supporting the trade well after standing down as Chair and wish the Branch, its members and especially the wonderful committee all the best for the future. Matt Mace Chair
Are you missing out?
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021
BEER AROUND ‘ERE
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