Campaign for Real Ale
​Exeter and East Devon Branch
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RUBY ANNIVERSARY for Exeter and East Devon Branch of  CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

 

It started on 16th March 1971 when four disillusioned drinkers bemoaned the demise of tasty proper beer whilst the National Brewers foisted fizzy, chilled, pasteurized, tasteless Keg, ‘Bright’ beer and lager, stored in tanks, promoted as Red Barrel, Double Diamond, Skol, etc upon the drinking public.

 

The four disillusioned drinkers resolved to do something about it, so they formed the Campaign for Real Ale.  This obviously struck a chord with pub-goers and by 1972 the first CAMRA AGM took place, the Campaign spread rapidly throughout the Country and Local and Regional Branches were set up.

 

Here records are sparse but it is recalled that the first meeting of the Exeter Branch gathered at The Bridge in Topsham and  was formed in 1973, hence our Ruby (40th) Anniversary.

 

As the Campaign grew and became more organized, Devon became divided into four Branches, Exeter and East Devon, South Devon, Plymouth and District and North Devon.

 

Nationally, from the founding four members in 1971, by 1991 membership had risen to 30,000, by 2002 to 64,000, it reached 100,000 in 2009 and now stands at over 156,000 and we now have over 800 subscribing members in E&ED Branch.

 

Furthermore, whilst the majority of our members are in the 40+ age group we do have an increasing number of new recruits in their 20’s and 30’s. Also, CAMRA proudly announces that over 22% of members are female and in our Branch we have 5 ladies amongst our active committee of 13 and many more who attend and help at our meetings and Festivals.

 

So, 40 years on from the original meeting of the Exeter Branch, the E&ED Branch met on Saturday 28th September at 12 noon at The Bridge in Topsham to celebrate our Anniversary and we were delighted that many Past Chairmen  and ex-members joined us.

 

To illustrate the wide appeal of our Campaign, we meet monthly at Pubs across our Branch area with our average attendance in the mid-thirties, in early September we met at The Merry Harriers in Westcott and members attending were from Honiton, Exmouth, Cullompton, Clyst St. George, Exeter, Kilmington, Exwick, Topsham, Newton St. Cyres, Crediton and Dawlish.  Of course we also enjoy many social gatherings, visiting pubs and breweries and working very hard to organize our annual Festival of Winter Ales (this year is our 25th and will be held again at Exeter City Football ground, St James Park on 10th and 11th January). We also publish our quarterly magazine Exe Ale.

 

To emphasise the appeal now of Real Ale, in 1980 there were two small independent brewers in Devon, Cotleigh Brewery in Tiverton (subsequently moved to Wiveliscombe in Somerset) and Blackawton (sadly closed this year) but now there are 30 listed in the current Good Beer Guide in Devon, some very small, some grown successfully quite big (and two more announced as starting up since the list was published).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nowadays CAMRA is active in supporting brewers, supporting pubs and licensees, fighting pub closures, encouraging community pubs, challenging excessive tax and rates burdens on landlords and drinkers but never losing sight of celebrating the wonderful range of tastes and flavours that can be found only in our National (that is all parts of the British Isles) drink – REAL ALE

 

CHEERS,

Rowland and Thelma Honeywill