After CAMRA was created in 1971, a Shropshire CAMRA branch was formed. However, due to the size of Shropshire and the fact that by 1974 there were already over 450 members, it was agreed that branches were also needed for the two biggest towns of Shrewsbury and Telford. 

So in April 1974, the Shrewsbury CAMRA branch was officially created. A local newspaper reporter was there for the very first meeting, and a copy of the article can be seen here. A couple of years later, the Telford branch was expanded to cover eastern Shropshire, and our branch received the western side. Hence we became the Shrewsbury and West Shropshire CAMRA branch or SaWS for short.

However, for a while after Wem Brewery was closed down in 1988, we gave ourselves the unofficial title of the Shrewsbury and Wem CAMRA branch in solidarity with the people of Wem as a protest against the closure. In fact, when we organised the first Shrewsbury Beer Festival in 1990, the festival flyer shows it as being run by Shrewsbury and Wem CAMRA.

Over the years, we have grown into a sizeable branch with around 700 members, a significant number of which enthusiastically keep the branch running so that it can promote CAMRA’s aims in this region. We have continued to organise the Shrewsbury Beer Festival, and have just had a very successful 32nd festival in September 2024.

We have also been active in campaigning against local pub closures, and have helped save a number of pubs important to the community. Our main involvement these days is in helping communities apply for ACV’s (Asset of Community Value) to prevent redevelopment, and also advising on steps towards community purchases of pubs. A great example of this is the White Lion community pub in Ash Magna near Whitchurch, which has been going from strength to strength and won a Countryside Alliance award for the Best Country Pub in the UK in 2023.