CAMRA Durham have now had first meetings with the last 2 of the MPs representing constituencies within our Branch area.

The Branch met with Paul Howell, MP for Sedgefield on Friday 19th March 2021. This was the fifth in our series of meetings with local politicians. The discussion was wide-ranging, reflecting the concerns of the branch, as captured through our meetings, liaison with brewers and extensive contacts with members and publicans.

Before we tell you about this year's AGM we would just like to share a quick thought: 

The Branch has recently had a further 2 meetings with our local MPs to talk to them about the difficulties facing the pub, club and brewing industries.

The headline is that we have chosen not to hold a festival of our own in 2021, as we typically would, towards the end of the year. Instead, we plan to organise and support vigorously a celebration of real ale and real cider that is based in pubs and clubs. Over the coming months, as the practicalities become clearer, we shall link with publicans, brewers, and drinkers to decide the timing, format, and finer details of this.

As part of our campaign to support local pubs, brewers and drinkers in the current lockdown and immediate future, a group of CAMRA members met with Kevan Jones MP, the representative for North Durham. In a wide-ranging discussion, Kevan emphasised that he had opposed the 10pm curfew, recognised the central importance of pubs to communities in County Durham and recognised the severe impact that current public health measures are having on all concerned.