Sandy 4 St Albans

I joined CAMRA when I was at university in the 1970s and I remember campaigning for real beer in college bars.  I even printed the first real beer guide for Cambridgeshire.  Little did I know then that CAMRA had been founded in St Albans and that St Albans was to be such a mecca for beer drinkers.

So today I was pleased to make a special visit to St Albans-based CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) in Hatfield Road to sign the  Beer Drinkers’ and Pub Goers’ Charter.  The picture shows me with Emily Ryans and Jenni Hollis of CAMRA.

The CAMRA Charter champions well-run community pubs, the rebalancing of alcohol taxation to support beer and pubs, the reform of the beer tie to deliver a fair deal for consumers, and the role of well-run pubs as part of the solution to alcohol misuse.

Well-run pubs can be a bedrock of community life – they are part of the solution to the problem of alcohol misuse and not part of the problem.  They deserve our support.