Campaigns

Pub Preservation

If you love your local pub and think it adds value to your local community, then why not list it as an Asset of Community Value (ACV)? A listing can be applied for through your local council.

Since 2012 community groups across England have listed thousands of pubs this way. This means that if the pub comes up for sale as a development opportunity, the community will be notified and given the first opportunity to bid to buy the pub. 

A listing can also be an important consideration in deciding the outcome of a planning application for change of use, which could prevent planning permission being granted and save the pub!

Not sure if your local is already listed? Search all existing assets with Asset of Community Value status by visiting the Plunkett Foundation website here.

Our branch used to apply for ACV’s for pubs at risk of redevelopment but the local council started to look more favourably on ACV applications that were submitted by the local community. So now our role is to give advice to community groups if they want help in applying for an ACV for their pub, and also to provide information about possible options for community purchases of pubs.

If you have any questions about applying for an Asset of Community Value status for your local pub, please email one of our Pub Preservation officers at pubs@saws.camra.org.uk.

Pubs in Shropshire with current ACV’s can be found on the Shropshire Council website. Two local pubs have just reopened under community ownership after getting ACV’s to prevent them from being redeveloped. These are the Horse and Jockey at Northwood near Wem, and the Falcon at Hinstock which is just into the Telford and East Shropshire CAMRA area. Another local pub, the Fox Inn at Little Ryton currently has an ACV and the community are now trying to raise funds to purchase the pub. For more information on the Fox, please see their website or Facebook page.

LocAle

CAMRA’s LocAle initiative promotes pubs stocking locally brewed real ale in order to reduce the number of ‘beer miles’ from brewery to pub cellar in response to growing consumer demand for quality local produce.

CAMRA branches around the country now award accreditation to pubs that regularly stock at least one real ale. The pub can then advertise their participation by posting the window sticker in their pubs.

Some of the benefits of stocking locally produced real ale in local pubs include:

  • Pubs can attract more visitors through their doors, including tourists seeking out distinctive local products.
  • Consumers can enjoy greater beer choice and diversity.
  • Brewers are supported with increased sales, creating more local jobs.
  • More money is generated and spent locally, increasing the resilience of the local economy.

We give a guideline definition of ‘local’ as a brewery within a 30 mile radius of the pub, but CAMRA branches can choose what distance they use. After all, local means something very different in central London, than in the Scottish highlands!

Pubs which have been given LocAle status by their local CAMRA branch can display the LocAle sticker on their windows or doors. The stickers are dated with the year of the accreditation, and there should be LocAle pump clip crowners to show the beers which are brewed locally. Customers can also use the WhatPub website to search for pubs with LocAle accreditation.

Pubs in west Shropshire that have been LocAle accredited can be found on the WhatPub website by selecting “LocAle Accredited” in the Filter by Feature section on the right hand side of the search results.

If you would like information on getting your pub LocAle accredited, please contact one of our Pub Officers at pubs@saws.camra.org.uk.

Mild Month

Every May CAMRA branches across the country celebrate ‘Mild May’, an initiative to celebrate and highlight the beer style Mild, which was recently under threat of extinction due to a drop in popularity.

Mild is a beer style which developed in the late 18th and 19th centuries as drinkers started to demand a slightly sweeter and less aggressively hopped beer than Porter. Early milds were much stronger than modern versions, which tend to fall into the 3% to 3.5% category, though a number of brewers are bringing strength back into style.

Mild is usually dark brown in colour, due to the use of well-roasted malts or roasted barley. Look for a rich malty aroma and flavour, with hints of dark fruit, chocolate, coffee and caramel, with a gentle underpinning of hop bitterness.

To help revive the Mild beer style, CAMRA branches encourage local pubs to have at least one Mild on the handpumps during the month of May, and some organise trips to pubs and breweries that embrace and support the beer style.

If you are interested in your pub joining our Mild May initiative, please contact one of our Pub Officers at pubs@saws.camra.org.uk. All participating pubs will be publicised on this website nearer the time, and also on our Shrewsbury and West Shropshire CAMRA Facebook page.

Cider and Perry Months

CAMRA supports and campaigns for cider and perry throughout the year, and we spotlight it with celebrations in October and May.

Unlike real ale production, which can happen at any time of the year, real cider and perry is generally a seasonal product and can only be made when the fruit is ripe. Production is tied to a natural cycle of the apple and perry pear trees found in orchards around the country.

The month of May was chosen because it is when the orchards come into bloom and fruit begins to set. Cider and perry production from the previous year reaches maturity in May and can start being enjoyed so it’s also a time for celebration of the fruits of cider makers labour!

October is an equally busy time in the cider makers calendar, when fruit is harvested, milled, pressed and stored for fermentation and cider and perry production is in full flow.

If you are thinking of having real cider or perry available at your pub during May and October, please contact one of our Pub Officers at pubs@saws.camra.org.uk to let us know. All participating pubs will be publicised on this website nearer the time, and also on our Shrewsbury and West Shropshire CAMRA Facebook page.