Real ale campaign gathers steam

The Campaign for Real Ale is gathering views from its 180,000 members as part of its Revitalisation Project – a strategic review of the organisation’s purpose and structure.

The organisation, which has Portsmouth and south-east Hampshire branches that put on regular beer festivals, said there has ‘incredible interest’ in the consultation. More than 20,000 members nationwide have completed a survey to offer their views and all consultation meetings have been well attended.

The rise of ‘craft beer’ and a resurgence of interest in beer in recent years, plus renewed threats to pubs, has challenged the organisation to review its campaigning strategy for the future.

Founding member and Revitalisation Project chairman Michael Hardman said: ‘Every effort is being made to consult with as many as possible of our members to ask them who and what we should represent in the future.’

All members have been posted a consultation booklet and invited to complete a survey or attend one of almost 50 consultation meetings this summer.

Consultation sessions will also be held with selected stakeholders, journalists and MPs.

Members can sign up to attend a consultation meeting by logging on to revitalisation.camra.org.uk, and the Revitalisation Project steering group will consider the outcomes of the consultation at the members’ weekend in April 2017.