Evolve or face extinction?

As I’m sure many of you will be aware, a couple of weeks ago, CAMRA announced that it was set to widen its remit beyond that of campaigning purely for cask-conditioned beer (real ale). Instead the group intends to represent “drinkers of quality beers, ciders and perries of all types”. It would also be moving its focus beyond traditional pubs.

This new approach follows the so-called the Revitalisation Project, which was launched at the start of 2016. Described as a root and branch review of its purpose and objectives, the project attempted to engage with as many of CAMRA's 190,000 members as possible. The project was meant to have concluded a year later, but to the amazement of many, the findings were kicked into touch.


They have now been re-drafted in the form of a series of far-reaching proposals which, if approved at CAMRA’s Annual General Meeting in April, will see a new focus for the 46-year-old consumer organisation, and a radical change of direction. CAMRA members will also be asked to consider changes to the organisation's Articles of Association which will widen the range of types of beer that it represents - including quality beer which does not meet the organisation's definition of "real ale".


CAMRA claim that while continuing to advocate that "real ale is the pinnacle of the brewer's craft", the Campaign's wider focus will mean all drinkers who enjoy a range of beers, ciders and perries will feel welcome in the organisation.

The recommendations also propose that as a result of widening its scope of interest CAMRA will be able to represent and engage with all beer drinkers and with all pubgoers, irrespective of what they choose to drink, increasing its ability to campaign in the interests of a much larger constituency.

Now comes the radical bit; if the changes are approved, the Campaign will, “work to provide an enhanced education and information experience for its members, and all drinkers who attend CAMRA festivals”. The group claims this will help them appreciate and learn about all types and styles of beer, cider and perry - and make informed decisions about what constitutes "quality".

Sounds good on paper, but it will be interesting to see how the Campaign puts it into practice. I appreciate the thinking behind this, but CAMRA will need to take care not to come across as too patronising or condescending particularly towards drinkers of “other types of beer”.


In seeking approval for their recommendations, the Campaign's leadership argue that a wider appeal and closer connection with the current revolution in beer and bars will enable the organisation to connect with modern-day beer drinkers and pub goers. They claim this will strengthen CAMRA's campaigning voice: enabling it to increase the already-considerable influence it exerts on the Government and industry decision-makers.

To summarise:

CAMRA festivals will offer a wider range of quality beers, ciders and perries in all formats.

CAMRA will  now engage with drinkers of all types - with the aim of taking them on a “journey of discovery” of why real ale, cider and perry is particularly special.

CAMRA will provide information about all kinds of beer, not just real ale, as well as opportunities for members to learn more about brewing and the different types and styles available to drinkers.

CAMRA will recognise a wider range of drinks and establishments in its local and national competitions.

These proposals do represent a radical shift in policy from CAMRA, so it will be interesting to see how they are received by the membership at large. Whilst giving them a cautious welcome, I have mixed feelings about some of them; not because I feel they are wrong as such, but more so because I feel they may fundamentally change the nature of CAMRA – an organisation I have been a member of for over 40 years.

Some may argue that CAMRA needs to innovate or risk withering on the bine, and that might be true, but in trying to transform itself into a much broader church which appeals to all beer drinkers (and to cider and perry drinkers as well?), might well be a step too far.

I am happy to drink “key-keg” beer, although I'd prefer it to be served just a few degrees warmer, but I am beginning to have my doubts as to how the new approach will actually win over drinkers of “other types of beer”. From what I have read, many other writers feel the same, and these excellent pieces from Pub Curmudgeon, The Crafty Beeress, Ed Wray and Ben Viveur are all well worth a read  in order to see this major policy shift from a different angle.

Don’t get me wrong, the intentions are good, and there is no doubt that CAMRA has to change, but will the changes achieve the results the Revitalisation Committee thought they would, when they embarked on this exercise?

Just under two years ago, a friend and I went along to one of the consultation evenings which aimed at kick-starting the process. Apart from the opportunity to meet and shake hands with Michael Hardman, one of the four original founding members of CAMRA, let’s just say I came away felling under-whelmed.

My friend and his brother, who also attended the meeting, felt the same way too. Not only did the debate which followed the presentation, get too bogged down in specifics, but those present seemed to divide into two distinct groups, split roughly 50:50. So just like the EU referendum, there seemed a schism between those who wanted to see CAMRA innovating and moving forward, and those who wished to maintain the status quo.


With this in mind it will be interesting which way the argument goes, when the proposals are put to the membership, and they have the chance to vote on them. On that last point, there is no need to physically turn up at April’s AGM, as all members will be allowed to vote, either electronically or, for the computer illiterate, by post.

We should all know the result in a few months’ time, so which way will it go, and like the EU referendum, will it be a cliff-hanger?

Life and life only

Well if things had gone to plan I would be on the train home from Manchester now.  My introductory post  for 2018 described, in some detail, my beer-related itinerary for the first eight months of the year, and a long overdue visit to Manchester and Salford, including time for a visit to the Manchester Beer Festival, was the first item on the list.

Still as John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans”, and Retired Martin reminded me that “You can overdo planning, of course”, so yes,  life certainly ended up dealing us a particularly nasty surprise.

There are two lessons learnt here then; the second one being,  never take your health for granted. We all think we are indestructible, especially when we are just starting out in life, but even after the years have started creeping up on you, there’s a tendency to think we can continue to burn the candle at both ends, and just carry on living our extremely busy and often over-complicated lives.

So without resorting to the old clichés about waking up and smelling the coffee, the experience of the past three and a half weeks has definitely taught us to slow down, and take time out from our busy days.

There’s a major life-style choice ahead for Mrs PBT’s, involving giving up a particularly unhealthy vice. She knows this and I too have learnt not to be too blasé when it comes to turning a blind eye under the pretext of “live and let live”.

So no immediate travel plans for the time being, just time to spend getting our lives back on track, reflecting on the future and learning to take things a lot easier!

                                                           

The George & Dragon - Wrotham

After renewing my acquaintance with the “revived” Rose Revived at Hadlow, last Saturday, I decided to cast the net slightly further afield. The plan was to visit the village of Wrotham the following day, and try out one, or possibly two of the pubs there.

As some of you have probably gathered by now, I am calling in at these places on my way home from visiting my wife whilst she’s in hospital over at Maidstone. There are lots of interesting places in between the county town and Tonbridge, and plenty of pubs whose acquaintance I wish to renew.

Anyway, the plan for Sunday was to make a slight diversion towards Wrotham; my interest in the village having been sparked by Retired Martin’s article which he posted just prior to Christmas. Martin described the area, which lies in the triangle bounded by the M25/M20/M26  motorways, as “Weatherboarden”.

White-painted weatherboarding is quite common throughout Kent and can also be found in parts of neighbouring Sussex as well, but there’s no getting away from the fact that Wrotham seems cut off from the rest of the county, despite its proximity to several major centres of population. As I commented on Martin’s post at the time, “I’ve driven past the turning to Wrotham many times, on trips to Gravesend, but there never seems time to turn off and sample the delights of this “hidden” village. Must re-visit after reading your post.”.

Sunday however, did not turn out as planned. It was raining when I left for my journey to Maidstone, and whilst I’d spotted the odd snowflake on the windscreen,  I thought little of it until I reached Wateringbury, where it was snowing quite hard. By the time I reached the hospital it had got worse. Well there was no turning back, and as the snow seemed quite wet, and wasn’t settling, I wasn’t unduly concerned.

Eileen was looking better than she had for weeks, and we had a good chat. It wasn’t yet time to reflect, but experiences such as she’s just been through do tend to concentrate the mind and cause one to pause and reflect.  With state retirement age just over four years away, perhaps it is time to slow down and start taking things easier, and I know Eileen will be doing this.

When it was time for me to leave, I noticed the snow had thankfully turned back to rain. The sky was dull and grey and with a cold northerly wind blowing I decided it would be best to give Wrotham a miss on this occasion, and head straight home instead. I had some household chores to attend to, and a roast dinner to cook for son Matthew and I.

The following day was completely different though, and whilst it started with a visit to the dentist, the sun was already shining by the time I’d left the surgery. I’d taken the day off work, as I had some business to attend to at the hospital. I didn’t know this, but when a patient is admitted to intensive care, any jewellery they might be wearing is removed.

In order to retrieve these items it was necessary for me to call at the Cashier’s Office, which is only open Monday to Friday; hence the need for me to book a day off. This I duly did, and after completing this task and also having the chance to talk to one of the doctors treating Eileen, I left the hospital shortly after 1.30pm. Now was my chance to visit Wrotham, so after stopping for fuel, plus a few items of shopping, I pointed the car in a westerly direction and headed off along the A20 towards my destination. 

I always think of the A20 as the “old road”, as it was along this highway that I travelled on a regular basis, with my parents and my sister, on journeys to London, in order to visit my maternal grand-parents. Travelling along this road brought back some pleasant memories, including some more recent ones, such as the time my walking companion Eric and I stayed at the Pretty Maid guest house, whilst walking the Weald Way.

I left the A20 halfway up Wrotham Hill and turned down into the village. It must be 30 years or more since I last visited Wrotham, but it is not a particularly large place with a population of just under 2,000 souls. It lies at the foot of the North Downs and today is mercifully free of traffic since the A227 Gravesend-Tonbridge road was diverted around the village.

Attractions include the church of St George, which was constructed in the late 13^th Century, replacing an earlier Saxon church. It is believed to be the oldest church in England dedicated to the country’s patron saint.

Of particular interest to the beer drinker is the concentration of  three pubs in the village centre, all within a hundred yards of each other. These are the Rose and Crown, the George and Dragon and the Bull Hotel. A fourth, the Three Postboys, ceased trading in 2009, and this is the establishment whose owners Retired Martin quite rightly castigated, due to the way they were advertising the place as “Not a Pub”.

The loss of this former Greene King pub left me with a choice of Shepherd Neame (Rose & Crown), or two free-houses (Bull or George & Dragon). I opted for the latter, purely because I knew I had visited the other two hostelries in a previous existence. I managed to park opposite, and after pausing to take a few photos, stepped up to the door and entered.

The first thing that struck me was the red-painted interior, quickly followed by the two leery old blokes sitting at a table to left of the door. I then clapped eyes on the centrally-located bar, complete with the landlord standing behind the counter, eating his lunch.

This was surely not the most auspicious of starts, and my question to the landlord as to which of the five cask ales he might recommend, was met by a less than helpful, “Depends on what you like”. With a beers ranging from Harvey’s Best to Exmoor Mild, with offerings from Marston’s, Otter and Sharp’s also available, I decided to opt for the latter in the form of  Sharp’s Coaster.

This 3.6% light-golden ale, proved to be a good choice, and I rated it at 3.0 NBSS. I left the landlord to finish his lunch, and plonked myself down at a table adjacent to the fireplace. Comparing my photos with those posted by Martin, we both must have sat in exactly the same seat!

I took the opportunity to flick through the latest edition of the Sevenoaks Chronicle; the sister paper to our own local rag, the Kent & Sussex Courier. Being Sevenoaks, the Chronicle seemed more up market, but that might just have been me being a bit picky.

There was a small group of middle-aged drinkers sitting a the bar, but apart from them and the two merry men by the door, the pub was more or less empty. Certainly the virtually separate dining area at the far left of the pub, was completely empty. I finished both my pint and the local paper at roughly the same time, pleased that I had visited the pub, but unlikely to make a return visit.

The local CAMRA branch (Gravesend & Darenth Valley), saw fit to include the G&D in this year’s Good Beer Guide, but the next time I divert to Wrotham, I am tempted to give the Bull a try instead.

Finally, for those not in the know, in true, and totally confusing Kentish fashion, Wrotham is pronounced "Rootam"; so now you know!

The Rose Revived - Hadlow

Yesterday, after visiting my wife who thankfully is now recovering well in Maidstone hospital, I stopped off for a pint on the way home. The other week I called in at the Swan-on-the-Green; an excellent rural brew-pub in the tiny village of West Peckham. I wrote about my visit here.

This time I stopped at a pub closer to home; one which I hadn't visited in ages, until I called in, a few weeks before Christmas, to collect my wife and a couple of her friends following a night out and a meal there.  The pub in question was the Rose Revived at Ashes Lane, a short distance from Hadlow, and just a few miles from the edge of Tonbridge.

On that occasion I didn't stop for a drink, as I was acting purely as a chauffeur, so having driven past the pub numerous times during the past 16 days, I thought it high time I popped in for a pint and gave the Rose proper look over.

Weather-wise I couldn't have picked a more foul day, so the photos of the pub exterior I took are both hurried and framed at such an angle to not include the cars parked in front of the building. The Rose was therefore not looking its best, which was a shame really as it is an attractive, white-painted old building which dates back to the 16th Century.

In recent years the pub has been considerably enlarged at the rear, and now incorporates a large reception-cum- dining room along with a conservatory. This is in keeping with its new title of "The Rose Revived Country Pub & Venue".

I say "new title", because in February of last year, the pub's name reverted to the Rose Revived, following a period as the Hadlow Bar & Grill. Prior to that it had even been an Indian restaurant for a short while. Local people had always known it as the Rose Revived, but what many of them don’t know is that at one time the pub was called the Rose & Crown.

The "Revived" part came about back in the 1970's when a previous owner acquired the freehold of what had been a rather run-down Charington's  pub and, after spending a lot of time and effort, had restored the building to something approaching its former glory. The name change may also have come about because there is another pub, right in the centre of Hadlow, called the Rose & Crown.

The fact that the London brewers Charrington's owned the pub relates to their acquisition of the tied estate of the former Kenward & Court Brewery, who were based just down the road in the centre of Hadlow. The brewery itself may have gone, but the impressive maltings buildings still stand, following their conversion to residential apartments.

I first became aware of the Rose Revived when my job took me to Tonbridge. I didn't live in the town back then, as I commuted daily from my home in Maidstone, but it wasn't that long before I started to explore the countryside around Tonbridge; particularly the stretch between the town and Maidstone.

In late 1984 I moved to Tonbridge after meeting the present Mrs Bailey, and it was on a subsequent visit to the Rose Revived that I first became aware of the eccentricities of the pub's then owner. I never knew the licensee's name but I soon learned of his reputation as a curmudgeonly individual. The rumour was he ran the pub like a private club, primarily for the benefit of himself and his friends (cronies). I don't know quite how true this was, but I do recall a work colleague falling foul of this individual, although I can't  remember what his alleged misdemeanour was.

I do however, remember attending a CAMRA social at the Rose Revived one evening. This would have been some time in the late 1980's, and it happened to be general election night (presumably the election which saw Margaret Thatcher win her third term in office).

A group of us were sitting around a table enjoying the excellent Harvey's. The landlord may have been a grumpy old bugger, but he knew how to keep beer, and the Harvey's in particular was always top notch. As I recall, what happened next was a couple of other CAMRA members turned up late, so not wishing to exclude them from the conversation, and the company in general, we moved a couple of stools over to the table we were sitting at.

This was the signal for mine host to come marching over and order us, in his best Basil Fawlty manner,  to move the chairs back to where we found them, or leave. We reluctantly did as instructed, but when it came to getting a final pint in, our curmudgeonly friend then refuse point blank to serve us.

Time had not been called and there was still a good 10 minutes before "last orders". When questioned why we were being denied another pint, we were told the pub was closing early. (There may have been some reference here to election night, but I can't be 100% certain). As we left, we noticed most of the regulars still had plenty of beer left in their glasses, and the feeling was that once we had gone, Mr Fawlty and his chums would shut the door and carry on with their own private drinking session.

That's probably more than enough about the past, although I do find it quite amusing to look back at that particular chapter in the pub's history. Instead I want to concentrate on the present, where one couldn't wish for a more pleasant and convivial atmosphere.  I felt this back in December when I had just popped in to collect Eileen and her friends, and yesterday I felt exactly the same.

As mentioned earlier, the weather outside was atrocious, so I was glad to notice a welcoming log fire blazing away in the grate of the inglenook fireplace. There was just one person sitting at the bar, but there were quite a few customers scattered around the various rooms which make up the pub.

As if on cue, Harvey's Best was available (the pub memory wouldn't have been the same without it!), alongside Blonde Ambition from Tonbridge Brewery. I of course opted for the former, and scored it at 3.5 NBSS; my only complaint being it was served a little too cold for my liking. The beer was competitively priced as well for an upmarket pub, at £3.85 a pint.

I found myself a seat at a small table close to the window, where I had a reasonable view of what was going on. There were people like me who were just there for a drink, but it's safe to say the majority of the customers were diners. I didn't look at the menu whilst there, but a look later confirmed that the prices were quite reasonable, considering both the venue and the area. There is talk of holding a CAMRA social at the Rose Revived, later in the year, and I will certainly be passing on my positive feedback to the branch. I don't think there will be any trouble regarding moving the furniture or private, late night drinking parties this time around!

I had a brief chat with one of the owners as I was leaving. He said he was pleasantly surprised by the number of people they had in, especially in view of the weather, but when it's chucking it down with rain outside and the temperatures are not far above freezing, I can think of few better places to be than in a cosy, old country pub, in front of a blazing log fire, with a decent pint of beer in my hand.

On the buses

Last autumn, news broke that Kent County Council (KCC), were planning to withdraw subsidies from a significant number of mainly rural bus routes. These included 23 routes in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells alone. In some cases the entire services to  several villages and other small rural communities were to be withdrawn in their entirety.

KCC planned to recuperate £2.25million a year by ending these subsidies, the withdrawal of which would have had disproportionate effect on both the elderly and younger people, as car usage amongst these groups is lower than in other sectors of the population.

Now, following a predicted and entirely understandable public outcry, leaders at County Hall have had a  last minute change of heart. This follows the news that central Government grant reductions were less than feared, and KCC needed to only budget for £450,000 rather than the predicted £2.25million. Council Leader Paul Carter (Conservative), ended up apologising for the "premature" release of routes potentially facing the axe.

Councillor Carter stated there is no longer a need for the subsidies to end, and announced on 16th January that a consultation into the proposals, that was due to start on the following day, will no longer take place. Instead, County Hall has budgeted £500,000 for "conversations" about the buses with parish councils and community groups.

“We believe there are smarter, more responsive ways to deliver these bus services,” said Cllr Carter. “We intend to arrange a whole series of big conversations with parish councils and communities on how this can be delivered.”

Many Kent residents have been left wondering why Paul Carter didn't  speak out about this before, and the fallout  from this debacle has seen Cllr Matthew Balfour, the Cabinet Member for Transport, lose his job last week to Cllr Mike Whiting. 

Martin Betts, Campaign Coordinator for Tunbridge Wells Labour Party, said: “The climb-down from making severe cuts to bus subsidies is to be welcomed. It is a direct response to thousands of people across the county who are saying that they have had enough of the austerity embraced by Conservatives at all levels of government. Instead of tinkering with budgets at county level we need proper Government funding to ensure that we get the decent public services we need”. 

Gillian Douglass, Chair of Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrats , added: “The rural routes had already been cut down which effects chiefly the older people and younger people. It is great we are going to keep these services.” 

Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells, said: “I am delighted that Kent County Council has listened to our concerns about potential cuts to local bus services. Many people would have been affected so this news will be a great relief. It is vital that our local bus services keep running.”

"Weasel words", some might say, from these politicians, all of whom seem more interested in scoring points off one another rather than doing anything constructive, so let's put politics to one side and look at things from the perspective of bus users.


Now whilst I am one of those who signed the petition, protesting against the cuts, I have to confess the only times I use bus services are for CAMRA socials, in order to visit some of our more rural and outlying pubs. I have occasionally used these services, whilst out walking in order to reach either the start of my walk or as a means of returning me home, but by and large I am a committed car user.

Things might have been different of course, had the government not moved the goalposts and upped the age at which citizens qualify for a free bus pass from 60, to state retirement age (66 in my case). That though is a different story, and one outside the scope of this article.

Instead it does bring up the whole thorny issue of rural bus services and the mantra of “use it or lose it”. I say this because more often than not, my CAMRA companions and I have either been the only people travelling on some of these rural buses, or we have constituted by far the largest number of the passengers.

So whilst I am perfectly happy to see some of my hard-earned Council Tax being used to subside these rural services, I would definitely like to see more people using them. I’m sure there are others who will disagree though, and some will no doubt question the ethics of council-tax payers subsidising "pensioner’s trips to the pub".

To those people I would say, remember that one day, you too will be old. Health or financial constraints may mean you are no longer able to drive a car, or perhaps you will become unable to bear the cost of running your own vehicle. In such instances, that subsidised bus service may just prove the lifeline you are looking for.