What we do
CAMRA campaigns nationally, regionally and locally to achieve our aims.
Through numerous books, guides, awards and presentations, we reward good practice and encourage high standards, whether in brewing, pub cellarmanship, pub design or simply running a good pub. The Great British Beer Festival, the Good Beer Guide, the Champion Beer of Britain Awards and the Pub of the Year are all national in our scope, but our 180 local branches run local festivals and awards, and produce their own local guides.
CAMRA campaigns against all brewery take-overs because they lead to brewery closures, loss of established beers, higher prices and reduced choice. We also campaign when good pubs are threatened with closure because of the impact this will have on the local community. According to our most recent research around 26 pubs close around the UK every month. Lively campaigns are mounted at local level, with backup from our national headquarters and MPs, councillors, trade unions, licensees and workers often also become involved. Tactics we have used include petitions (including online petitions), threatened boycotts and lobbying at both national and local levels.
Nationally we will make submissions to the shareholders when a brewery is threatened with closure, and to regulatory authorities such as the Office of Fair Trading and the Monopoly and Mergers Commission, and, for very large mergers, the European Commission.
We produce a hard-hitting newspaper, "What's Brewing", which goes free to our members, the brewery trade and the media. It plays a major role in informing beer drinkers and putting across our views. CAMRA branches also use meetings, local newsletters and local websites to inform members about developments in their area.
Regular local beer festivals play a major role not just as fund raisers but also to keep people informed about CAMRA's work, and the vast range of beers that are still available. This continuous background work has doubtless helped change attitudes towards real ale.
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is an independent, voluntary, consumer organisation which campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights.
Membership is open to all individuals although corporate entities such as breweries and pubs are not members; we currently have 100,000 individual members.
CAMRA is governed by a voluntary unpaid national executive, elected by the membership. We have a branch structure which means that all members can join a local CAMRA branch and campaign and socialise locally. There are around 200 branches covering the UK and many of the branches run local beer festivals, publish local newsletters and run social events to pubs and breweries.
Although we are a volunteer-led organisation there is also a small professional staff of twenty five responsible for central campaigning, research, membership services, publishing, marketing and administration.
CAMRA is financed through membership subscriptions, sales of products such as books and sweatshirts, and from the proceeds of beer festivals. We are a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee and our accounts are lodged annually with Companies House.
