Latest news with #CAMRA
NDTV
4 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
This Unexpected Spot Just Won Britain's Most Beautiful Pub Title
Tucked away on a charming street corner in West Ealing, London, The Forester has officially been crowned one of the nation's finest pubs, winning the coveted 'Community Local' category at the 2025 Pub Design Awards, hosted by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Judged by a panel of design and conservation experts in partnership with Historic England, the award celebrates pubs that showcase exceptional visual appeal, historical significance, and thoughtful restoration. And The Forester ticked all the boxes. Lovingly restored by owner Fuller's, the pub impressed judges with its architectural charm, deep community roots, and respectful refurbishment. It was toasted as one of "the most visually stunning, historically significant and lovingly restored pubs across the UK." Built in 1909 by architect T.H. Nowell Parr, The Forester is a classic example of Edwardian design, featuring columned porticoes, green-glazed brickwork, and gabled roofs. Inside, it retains original bar counters, Tudor-arched bar-backs, tiled fireplaces, and even remnants of gas lighting. One saloon room boasts London's only surviving bell-pushes once used for waiter service, still marked with the word 'BELL'. The Art Nouveau stained glass adds a layer of elegance, while the former publican's office remains at the heart of the servery. After a brief closure, The Forester reopened in March 2024 following a sensitive restoration. Its rear lounge now serves popular Thai cuisine, blending heritage with modern hospitality. Andrew Davison, chairman of the Pub Design Awards judging panel, praised the winners for their dedication to preserving Britain's pub culture. Speaking to The Mirror, he said, "The Pub Design Awards recognise the highest standards of pub architecture, rewarding artistic flair and painstaking historical conservation." He added, "From inviting street-corner locals to striking medieval coaching inns, there are some stunning pubs in the UK. The craftsmanship involved in making these venues a gorgeous place to enjoy cask beer and real cider or perry should rightfully be applauded. I encourage heritage enthusiasts and pub lovers alike to visit these inspirational buildings." Other winners at the 2025 Pub Design Awards included: Bod Lichfield in Stratford, which won Best New Build for its "industrial chic" aesthetic, featuring recycled wood, distressed paintwork, and exposed ceiling pipes. Swan in Suffolk, recipient of the Historic England Conservation Award, recognised for preserving original features. B orough Beer House in Surrey and the now-closed Python's Arms in Lyonshall, Herefordshire, were joint winners in the Conversion to Pub Use category.
Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I've visited 24,000 boozers on 40 year pub crawl - these are my favourites'
Peter Hill has supped an incredible 60,000 pints on a mammoth pub crawl which has seen him visit 24,000 boozers across the UK in a 40 year pub crawl quest to visit every CAMRA guide pub Real ale fan Peter Hill has supped an incredible 60,000 pints on a mammoth pub crawl which has seen him visit 24,000 boozers across the UK. He celebrated his 69th birthday in the Elephant & Castle, at the Black Country Living Museum, in Dudley, as he continued his quest to visit every pub in the CAMRA guide. He has enjoyed a pint in every corner of the UK along with his drinking crew – the Black Country Ale Tairsters – and has even had a pint in pubs on 69 islands around the UK. The retired engineer has travelled over 400,000 miles since he started in 1984 and logs every pub he has visited at his West Bromwich home. He said: 'Every pub is logged, since number one, and I have over 300 lever arch files with photos, cards and a write up of the pubs. I leave a calling card which I have signed by a pub team member to prove I have been in.' In every pub he visits Peter asks the landlord to make a £1 donation to the Midland Air Ambulance and has so far raised over £35,000. He said: 'Some give a quid, some give a tenner, some £20 and some give nowt. But it's a great charity.' Peter started his journey when he and his pals started visiting pubs listed on a map handed out by Wolverhampton based Banks brewery. After visiting 300 pubs in a year they decided to continue. He said: 'It's taken me 41 years but I've now visited 24,000 pubs, but there are still hundreds more to go. We all love our real ale, but we don't overdo it, 'We have visited every single island with a pub around the British Isles, 69 of them. We've been to the Shetlands, Orkneys, Jersey, Guernsey. It's been a great adventure. I'm going to North Yorkshire next weekend for four days and then Essex after that, so we'll chalk up a few more on the list. Sometimes I'm on my own, but mostly it's a really good crew I travel with. It's brilliant fun. 'We've travelled across Europe too, to the military sites, the Somme, the Maginot line, the British war graves. We learn about the history and we visit the local pubs too, but they don't count on the list. One of the greatest people we found was a guy from World War 2 who used to look after the SAS war graves in France, He was 92 when we met him.' Peter added: 'I love unusual pubs, pubs with something that makes them stand out. Pubs full of character and antiques. We love our real ales but we also try the stouts and milds.' Peter also backed The Mirror 's Save Our Pubs campaign - which calls for a "fighting fund" to help struggling pubs, recognising good pubs are the heart of the community. The campaign is crucial because pub closures have a significant impact on communities, leading to job losses and the loss of important social spaces. More than 400 pubs closed for good in England and Wales last year meaning the number of locals has dropped below 39,000 for the first time. Peter said: 'The local pub is vital in so many areas. You can meet for a chat and a laugh. But the prices are ridiculous now. You can pay £7 for a pint. 'There's the business costs, the taxes, the minimum wage doesn't help. Landlords have to cover the costs and it's a shame so many are closing. The government does need to do more to help.' Peter's top five pubs: Yew Tree Inn, Caulden Staffs: 'You've got to see it to believe it. It's fantastic, full of antiques.' The Mug House, Claines, Worcester: 'A cracking old pub next to a church yard.' The Black Lion, Consall Forge, North Staffs: 'Amazing scenery, next to an old steam railway and canal. It was hard to find, but it's easy now with Sat Nav.' The Rising Sun, Tipton: 'My local, I can't leave that out.' Payton Arms, Stoke Lyne, Oxfordshire: 'A fantastic, unique place. If you like character and cobwebs, this is the one.'
Scottish Sun
19-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Craft beer prices have rocketed since start of year amid rising costs and tax hikes
CAUGHT ON THE HOPS Craft beer prices have rocketed since start of year amid rising costs and tax hikes Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CRAFT beer prices have rocketed since the start of the year — giving drinkers a major hangover. Prices have jumped by up to 12.5 per cent since January, The Morning Advertiser Pint Price Survey has revealed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said many landlords are having to charge more just to stay open in the face of rising raw material costs and tax rises. The survey said the biggest price rise was for BrewDog Punk IPA, which was £5.64 a pint in January but is now £6.34. Camden Hells has also climbed to £6.34, up 10.8 per cent from £5.72. Others have seen more modest increases, just 1.7 per cent for Camden Pale Ale, which has gone from £5.59 to £5.69. The average price of a draught pint across all types has crept up to £5.17, compared with £5.08 six months ago. CAMRA chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: 'It's incredibly frustrating for consumers to see the price of a pint rise yet again. 'It's really important that we talk about the reasons that the price of beer is rising — it's hikes in the price of raw materials for brewers, energy costs staying high, pubs being squeezed by a challenging business rates system and rises in National Insurance contributions. 'Increasing the price of a pint is sometimes the only option for pubs, as not doing so risks closing their doors for ever.' Whitbread, owner of Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, has reported a 16 per cent fall in food and drink sales as it overhauls its restaurants. 1 Craft beer prices have rocketed since the start of the year Credit: Getty Pint prices on the rise and Maccies axes beloved item MORRISONS OVER STORM MORRISONS bosses said it had 'bounced back' from a Christmas cyber attack, as it posted stronger sales and profits for the latest quarter. But the UK's fifth-largest supermarket chain warned inflation is driving 'subdued' sentiment among shoppers. The Bradford-based business yesterday revealed group sales grew by 4.2 per cent to £3.9billion for the 13 weeks to April 27 compared with the same 2024 quarter. Morrisons is pushing ahead with a turnaround plan which includes closing cafés along with meat and fish counters. NO BEAUTY BID MIKE Ashley's Frasers Group has pulled out of the bidding process for cosmetic retailer Revolution Beauty. Frasers, which owns Sports Direct, said it 'does not intend to make an offer'. The make-up firm had said Frasers was 'one of a number of parties conducting due diligence' after it put itself up for sale last month. But the withdrawal raises questions over the future of the troubled beauty brand.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Craft beer prices have rocketed since start of year amid rising costs and tax hikes
CRAFT beer prices have rocketed since the start of the year — giving drinkers a major hangover. Prices have jumped by up to 12.5 per cent since January, The Morning Advertiser Pint Price Survey has revealed. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said many landlords are having to charge more just to stay open in the face of rising raw material costs and tax rises. The survey said the biggest price rise was for BrewDog Punk IPA, which was £5.64 a pint in January but is now £6.34. Camden Hells has also climbed to £6.34, up 10.8 per cent from £5.72. Others have seen more modest increases, just 1.7 per cent for Camden Pale Ale, which has gone from £5.59 to £5.69. The average price of a draught pint across all types has crept up to £5.17, compared with £5.08 six months ago. CAMRA chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: 'It's incredibly frustrating for consumers to see the price of a pint rise yet again. 'It's really important that we talk about the reasons that the price of beer is rising — it's hikes in the price of raw materials for brewers, energy costs staying high, pubs being squeezed by a challenging business rates system and rises in National Insurance contributions. 'Increasing the price of a pint is sometimes the only option for pubs, as not doing so risks closing their doors for ever.' Whitbread, owner of Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, has reported a 16 per cent fall in food and drink sales as it overhauls its restaurants. 1 Pint prices on the rise and Maccies axes beloved item MORRISONS OVER STORM MORRISONS bosses said it had 'bounced back' from a Christmas cyber attack, as it posted stronger sales and profits for the latest quarter. But the UK's fifth-largest supermarket chain warned inflation is driving 'subdued' sentiment among shoppers. The Bradford-based business yesterday revealed group sales grew by 4.2 per cent to £3.9billion for the 13 weeks to April 27 compared with the same 2024 quarter. Morrisons is pushing ahead with a turnaround plan which includes closing cafés along with meat and fish counters. NO BEAUTY BID MIKE Ashley's Frasers Group has pulled out of the bidding process for cosmetic retailer Revolution Beauty. Frasers, which owns Sports Direct, said it 'does not intend to make an offer'. The make-up firm had said Frasers was 'one of a number of parties conducting due diligence' after it put itself up for sale last month. But the withdrawal raises questions over the future of the troubled beauty brand.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans submitted to refurbish Hereford listed pub building
Plans have been submitted to refurbish one of Hereford's oldest Grade II listed Grapes Tavern on East Street and Capuchin Lane dates back to the early 17th Century, but took its last orders in 2023 when it submitted by Jove Ltd propose new flats and bed & breakfast rooms on the adapted upper floors, with pub use shown on the ground floor and claimed the pub had "been in decline for many years, with long periods of closure", and that "time has not been kind" to the building, listed in 1952 but subject to later "ill thought out and poorly executed alterations". Anthony Thomas from Jove said the proposal would "arrest the decline" of the pub and ensure "the economic benefits required to deliver its renewal".The exterior would be de-cluttered and given new signage and lighting, with a new door on the East Street side and two new windows onto Capuchin plans would also address the current "poor compartmentalisation" of the current licensed and residential uses, the application added, by reorganising the layout to allow these uses to be "fulfilled simultaneously".The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is consulted on all planned changes to pubs in the county. Its Herefordshire representative Mark Haslam said the while he had yet to go through the proposal in detail, he was concerned about the possible impact of the residential plans for the upper floors."This could lead to a "clash of amenities" with the pub use, a point the group had made with the council in other building was sold at auction for £257,000 in November 2023, when the second floor was still occupied, according to property services firm on the application can be made until July 10. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
