North Cheshire CAMRA - Branch Competition Timelines

For North Cheshire CAMRA, the end of the previous year sees the start of the merry-go-round of awards to the outstanding pubs and clubs in the branch area. The awards timeline is shown in the following table.

	December	January	February	March	April
Pub of the Year
Nomination of Candidates
Judging
Results Issued
Club of the Year
Nomination of Candidates
Judging
Results Issued
Community Pub of the Year
Nomination of Candidates
Judging
Results Issued

Pub of the Year

Pub of the Year candidates are selected based on a combination of their (NBSS) beer scores, subject to specific minimum criteria for number of scores and number of scorers, and a poll of local CAMRA members. Normally 5 pubs are chosen to appear in the ‘final’ and are then assessed according to National CAMRA guidelines by a panel of judges in between January & early March. The winner is announced early March.

Club of the Year

A similar process to Pub of the Year except selection takes place based on NBSS scores only, with judging from January through to early-March when the winner is announced..

Community Pub of the Year - AD HOC AWARDS ONLY

Unlike the first two awards Community Pub of the Year candidates are selected via direct nominations by North Cheshire CAMRA members, supported by brief justifications which guide the judges.

Click to see past winners and runners-up in the Branch Awards Roll of Honour.

North Cheshire Pub of the Year 2024 - Brewery Tap, Lymm

A regular candidate in the Pub of Year competition final in recent years and 2nd on 2 occasions, the Brewery Tap hauled themselves up to the top of the pile in 2024 just over 6 months after receiving an award for 10 consecutive years in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide. On 28th May with the pub full to the rafters, Ray Head of North Cheshire CAMRA presented the award to manager, Ric Seal, and his enthusiastic team with John Costello from parent, Dunham Massey Brewery, also looking on

North Cheshire Pub of the Year 2023 - Ferry Tavern, Penketh

After several appearances in the competition final and a couple of near misses for the top spot, the Ferry deservedly carried away the trophy for 2023. Gary Chester, CAMRA Cheshire Area Organizer, presented the award to Andy and Jade plus their team on Friday 26th May. This was accompanied by the good news that they had just signed a five year extension on the pub lease

North Cheshire Club of the Year 2023 - Appleton Thorn Village Hall

Bar Manager Kris Massey received the club's award from Ray Head of North Cheshire CAMRA during the club's Coronation beer festival 5th May. As usual the spread of food supplied by Alison and Derek was excellent. ATVH has now won the branch award on nearly 20 occasions, progessed to the the national final 12 times, and lifted CAMRA's coveted national title on 5 occasions. This is more than any other club in England.

North Cheshire Pub of the Year 2022 - Little Manor, Thelwall

Pub Manager Jill received the pub's award from David Samuelson of North Cheshire CAMRA in the crowded bar on 17th May

Click https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/20160957.little-manor-wins-north-cheshire-camra-pub-year-award/ to see the report in the Warrington Guardian Online

North Cheshire Pub of the Year 2021 - Lion, Moulton

The following article is from the Northwich Guardian website at https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/19534759.lion-moulton-win-camras-pub-year-award/

A POPULAR Moulton pub has won a ‘thoroughly deserved’ award for pub of the year in North Cheshire.

The Lion, on Main Road, between Northwich and Winsford, has been recognised by North Cheshire Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for their services and beers in the last year.

They won the award in 2020 but they could not be presented the award, so after the CAMRA members had sent in their beers scores, the Lion came out top once again and were awarded the title.

“The Lion thoroughly deserves recognition as our Pub of the Year, always serving great cask ales in a welcoming atmosphere,” Andy Edwards, chair of North Cheshire CAMRA said.

"It's exciting to be able to visit our great pubs once again and if it hadn't for a global pandemic we would have presented this award a lot sooner.”

The award covers nearly 400 premises with just over 50 per cent that sell cask ale from Warrington to Frodsham and Northwich.

Firstly ale is assessed, then customer service, cleanliness, atmosphere, facilities and the range of ales.

And Doll Jones, joint owner of the Lion, could not be more pleased to be presented with the prize.

“We’re absolutely delighted,” she said.

“It’s been an extremely difficult 16 months as it has been for everybody is hospitality and it was quite frightening financially.

“We weren’t sure at the start of things whether it would be even possible to reopen so to be able to reopen, to have received huge support from the village, the quality of the ale being recognised and the service that we give, stuff like that makes it all worthwhile."

The pub had to get loans on top of the government grant to stay afloat, but now slowly but surely they are on their way back up.

Doll, who is from Rusholme and has been born and bred in a pub background, continued: “This sort of recognition, publicity and support all goes to help us carry on what we’re doing.

“Our staff have been brilliant. Every single member of staff has come back. It’s been really challenging for them but they’ve adapted really well to every change we’ve had to make.

You can read the rest of this article in the Northwich Guardian Website at https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/19534759.lion-moulton-win-camras-pub-year-

North Cheshire Pub of the Year 2019 - Helter Skelter, Frodsham

This year's top award was scooped by old favourite Frodsham's Helter Skelter, narrowly beating the Lion, Moulton in a 6-pub final.

So for the fifth time in nine years North Cheshire CAMRA have judged the Helter Skelter as their Branch Pub of the Year.

Helter Skelter is by far North Cheshire CAMRA’s most awarded pub having won this title seven times since the award was launched thirty years ago.

A regular in CAMRA’s national Good Beer Guide for the past ten years, the quality of the pub’s real ales is unquestionable but this award doesn’t just recognize the quality of the beer as it was also judged against a number of other national CAMRA criteria which focus on it’s broader appeal to its customers and its community, for example: service and welcome, style and décor, community focus and atmosphere. To win this award requires a great all-round team effort from everybody at the pub.

Landlord Nick Broome commented on behalf of the pub: ‘In becoming, once again the North Cheshire CAMRA Pub of the Year, it shows the hard work and dedication is really worth it. My team, headed up in the bar by Joe Flett, work tirelessly for this great pub and deserve to share this award. To have won for the fifth time in my tenure and the seventh overall for the pub, this little unassuming gem, really is the essence of our devotion and commitment to what is becoming a harder and harder trading environment.’

The award to Helter Skelter was presented on Saturday 29th June by Weaver Vale MP, Mike Amesbury.