The Macclesfield Beer Festival will be held this year on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th May at Macclesfield Rugby Club. The festival, now in its 18th year, is run jointly run by Round Table, Macclesfield and East Cheshire CAMRA, and the Rugby Club and over the years has raised more than £250,000 for charity.

The evenings, which are ticket only, are always a sellout before the event. Tickets are available on-line.  Get them now.

As well as the great evening sessions, there is also the FREE ENTRY Saturday lunchtime session for those who enjoy their drinking in a more relaxed atmosphere, but with plenty to do and see and hear. This year we have the Macclesfield Youth Brass Band and Sam’s Kitchen (a capella singing), as well as tutored beer tastings, food, pub games and the popular tombola. Saturday lunchtime is the only session when families can come, so make the most of the friendly environment. Just a small charge is made for the programme and glass. Sorry - you still have to pay for the beer (it is for charity!).

For the first time this year, the bus will be running from outside the Waters Green Tavern (directly opposite the station on the West Coast Mainline) direct to the venue. Whilst the festival closes for Saturday afternoon, consider returning to central Macclesfield to take in some of the many fine real ale pubs all within staggering distance of the station. Too many to list here but please try a search on www.camrahops.com on postcode SK11 7NA and within 1.5km.

The branch has voted the Egerton Arms in Chelford as their 2012 Pub of the Year. On April 4th Chairman Rob Nicholson presented the award to Jeremy and Anne Hague in a well-filled pub with a good number of members in attendance. Rob opened by saying that support for pubs in these difficult times is as much a part of CAMRA’s focus as promoting real ale. He outlined the criteria used to judge the Pub of the Year, these being beer quality, pub experience, the pub in the community and staff quality. Rob acknowledged the tremendous improvement in all these criteria since the pub became a free house in 2009, reserving particular praise for the staff who work in the pub. Whilst the pub is still a very popular food outlet the keenness to promote good beers was emphasised by the presence of seven cask ales, five from local micros. Such backing for local brewers is another key element of CAMRA’s work.

This award follows on from the pub achieving Pub of the Season in summer 2011. The award automatically enters the pub in the Regional Pub of the Year competition. We congratulate Jeremy and Anne and wish them well for this next stage.