We are presenting 3 Pubs & Clubs of the Year awards over the weekend of 12th to 14th.

Blackburn with Darwen Area Club of Year 2026 award
Friday 12 June 2026 19:00
Cherry Tree Cricket Club, Blackburn
For the cricket fan's there's a T20 match vs Barrowford starting at 6.15pm.
The club is on the 152 Preston to Burnley bus route and Cherry Tree railway station is 10 minutes walk away.

Hyndburn Area Plub of Year 2026 award
Saturday 13 June 2026 15:00
Old England Forever In Clayton-le-Moors
The pub is short walk from the 6 & 7 Blackburn to Accrington bus route.

Branch & Hyndburn Area Plub of Year 2026 awards
Sunday 14 June 2026 14:30/15:00
Canine Club In Accrington
Taking place after the Committee Meeting

We hope you see you at one of the events

Cheers

The next informal Wednesday outing will be on 3rd June to Leeds

The train times are:
Blackburn 12-04
Accrington 12-11
Burnley Manchester Road 12-22
arrive Leeds 13.28

*Meet at Victoria Family & Commercial Hotel on Great George Street around 1.45pm

Hope to see you on the train

Cheers!

(*added 30the May)

Every May CAMRA branches across the country celebrate ‘Mild May’, an initiative to celebrate and highlight the beer style Mild.

Take a photo of you drinking a Mild in May, post it on social media, let us know where by tagging #MildMonth #camraeastlancs

Cheers!

Welcome to Witch Ale, the newsletter of East Lancs CAMRA

Your newsletter with details of meetings and events, pub/club and brewery news and anything else we have to share.

It’s Awards season

Join us over the next few weeks as we present Pub and Club of the Year 2026 awards to all these worthy winners

Blackburn with Darwen Area Pub of the Year 2026
Friday 1 May 2026 19:00
Loom & Shuttle Darwen

East Lancs Branch Pub of the Year 2026 & Pendle Area Pub of the Year 2026
Sunday 3 May 2026 18:00
Boyce's Barrel Colne

Ribble Valley Area Pub & Club of the Year 2026
Thursday 14 May 2026 18:00
(Pub) Swan with Two Necks Pendleton
(Club) Old School Rooms Clitheroe
(Presentation will take place at Clitheroe Beer Festival)

Other Branch Events

May 2026 Social
Wednesday 6 May 2026
For the next informal outing we're visiting Wigan.
Train times are: Burnley Manchester Road 12-03, Accrington 12-11, Blackburn 12-20, change at Preston arriving Wigan 13.11. Meet at Wigan Central under the station.

Clitheroe Beer Festival 2026
Thursday 14 – Saturday 16 May 2026
St. Michael & St. John's Club, Clitheroe

It's almost time, are you ready to join us?

Visit https://clitheroebeerfestival.co.uk/ for all information.

Volunteers still needed, please complete this Google form https://forms.gle/9B9B1cSpZ7ojgzGa6 if you can help, or alternatively email Harvey Baldwin (Staffing Organiser 2026) via ku.oc.bvrah@fbc who will pop your details down. Please remember to include your preferred size for a polo shirt along with the usual contact info.

Other CAMRA events

Mild Month Friday 1 – Sunday 31 May 2026
Take a photo of you drinking a Mild in May and post it on social media tagging us in #camraeastlancs

Skipton Beer Festival 2026 Thursday 21 – Saturday 23 May 2026
Run by neighbouring Keighley and Craven CAMRA branch held at Skipton Town Hall https://skiptonbeerfestival.camra.org.uk/ for details

Non CAMRA Events

Whitworth Valley Brewing May Taproom Pop Up
Friday 1 – Sunday 3 May 2026
Blackburn Beer & Gin Festival 2026
Friday 1 – Sunday 3 May 2026
Royal Arms Ale & Cider Festival
Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 May 2026
Unbound Brewery May pop up event @ Jim's Cafe
Saturday 2 May 2026
Meet the Brewer @ Chuffin’ Ale: Pomona Island
Wednesday 6 May 2026 19:00
Tap Takeover @ 1B Tap House: Wishbone Brewery
Friday 29 – Sunday 31 May 2026

For more information see the Branch & Events Diary page.

Let us know about (beery) events not listed, please email ku.gro.armac.scnaltsae@swenelahctiw or tag us on social media

Pub, Club and Brewery news

We need your input so that everyone knows what’s going in and around the East Lancs Region, and to create an archive on our website of the changing times of the area.

Please email:- ku.gro.armac.scnaltsae@swenelahctiw

I look forward to receiving news from you

Cheers!

Alan Leach Witch Ale newsletter editor

(This is a copy of an email sent to all members who have opted in. If you are not getting emails, check you account setting on the National CAMRA website).

Entry and tickets

Entry to Clitheroe Beer Festival for card carrying CAMRA members is free for every session if you pre-order your ticket from TCKTY.

Click here for more ticket info. For everyone else it’s a fiver on Friday and Saturday, CAMRA members and guests only on Thursday. (Pre-ordering your tickets will also allow you to jump the queue into the festival)

PAY BY TOKENS – OR- NEW FOR 2026 BY CARD AT OUR BARS

For the first time we will be taking card payment at all of our bars this year. If you’d prefer to pay cash, that’s fine, you’ll just need to buy some tokens from reception. We can’t take cash over the bars.

Volunteering

If you’re interested in volunteering this year please fill out the following Google form with your availability:
https://forms.gle/9B9B1cSpZ7ojgzGa6

Alternatively, you can email Harvey Baldwin (Staffing Organiser 2026) via ku.oc.bvrah@fbc who will pop your details down. Please remember to include your preferred size for a polo shirt along with the usual contact info.

All information provided will be held securely and not distributed for any purposes other than direct festival volunteer business.

Please note: all volunteers must have a valid CAMRA membership which will be checked when you sign on to work.

More Information

Click on the links below for the latest information up to and during the festival:

We are pleased to announce the East Lancs CAMRA Branch Pub and Club of the Year 2026 winners as well as the 6 Sub Area winners.

Congratulations to all the worthy winners.

The dates and times of presentations will be announced in due course.

The next informal Wednesday outing will be to Poulton le Fylde on 4th March 2026

The train is
12-03 Burnley Manchester Road
12-12 Accrington
12-22 Blackburn
arriving Poulton 12-47

Meet at the Thatched House

Hope to see you on the day

Cheers!

Happy New Year from the committee of East Lancs CAMRA

We hope you managed to find a decent pint over the break and support one of the fantastic EL pubs who need your support more than ever.

With that in mind we've been notified of plans to undertake a makeover of the DOG INN Whalley. Whilst we very much welcome investment , especially by pub co's, we want to ensure that this much loved watering hole continues to promote real ale . For those of you who visited in the past you'll know that the previous tenants were big supporters of locale and independent smaller breweries. If you want to register your concern then there's a petition you can sign on line via this link. (Just scroll down to avoid the advertising on their site)

Moving to other news , its only 3 weeks now until Pendle Beer festival returns , this year again as part of the January Blues event which spotlights blues music in many local pubs . This is a fund raiser for the main August Blues Festival.

Pendle festival was one of only a few festivals that gave free entry to CAMRA members, but for 2026 onwards ALL UK CAMRA events will also be free. That means its a great time to sign up a friend or family member for membership so you can take advantage of ours and all other UK festivals, like Skipton , Bradford and Oldham.

There's still time to volunteer a few hours to help out at Pendle.
Either email martyn at ku.oc.lavitsefreebeldnep@gniffats or complete this google form.

If you feel able , Pendleside Hospice are fund raising with us and are offering barrel sponsorships which includes some free ale and entry to the festival. Just click this link for more info . You even get a chance to pick a which beer you want to sponsor.

Which ever side of the bar you end up on the EL committee look forward to saying hello and sharing a beer .

Enjoy and stay safe

Martyn

Membership Secretary

Interested in volunteering?

To make it easy for you we have an online form you could fill out
or you can download the Pendle Beer Festival 2026 Volunteer Staffing Form document
fill it in and pass it back to Staffing Officer Martyn Pashley
or you can just email ku.oc.lavitsefreebeldnep@gniffats and Martyn will take care of completing the forms for you.

Can you ensure the form is completed by 18th January 2026.

Please note all volunteers must have a valid CAMRA membership when you sign on to work.

The next informal Wednesday outing will be to Lancaster on 3rd December.

The train is
12-02 from Burnley Manchester Road
12-11 from Accrington
12-19 Blackburn
12-38 Preston

Hopefully if on time we'll then catch the 12-46 & arrive in Lancaster at 13-03 & check into the Tlte & Locke on the station.

Hope to see you there

For the annual Christmas Turkey Trot we're returning to the popular SKIPTON.

This is a chance to join fellow EAST LANCS members on a trip out to nearby branches during the festive period.

Meet at the Railway Inn 1pm (open from 12) with plans to move onto the Sound Bar for 1.45 and then around the town after that.

Always on public transport, there are two buses that run into Skipton.

Burnley and Pendle M6 (Transdev)
Burnley 11.20
Nelson 11.44
Colne 12.12
Barnoldswick 13.17
Arriving into Skipton 12.40
Return journeys 17.45,18.45,19.45,20.55

280 Clitheroe - Skipton (Stagecoach)
Whalley 11.52
Clitheroe 12.09
Barnoldswick 12.35
Arriving into Skipton 13.04
Return journeys 17.15,18.15

*Please check bus company timetables for up to date infomation.

If we don't see you in Skipton have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year
from your CAMRA East Lancashire Committee

At last year’s Clitheroe Beer Festival, the beer of the festival was won by Silent Mill brewery over in Lytham.

Members of the Clitheroe Beer Festival team are heading over to Lytham on Tuesday 28th October to meander round a few pubs/bars and then present the brewery with the certificate, as such it's more of a social so all East Lancs CAMRA are welcome to come along.

Train times from Clitheroe are below. Anyone coming from out of area can meet up in either Blackburn, Preston, on the train or in Lytham. We’ll be jumping on the 12:21 train from Blackburn to Preston (that will have already come through Burnley Mcr Rd & Accrington).

d Clitheroe 11:21
d Whalley 11:27
d Langho 11:31
a Blackburn 11:47
d Blackburn 12:21
a Preston 12:38
d Preston 12:49
a Lytham 13:09

Presentation will be at the Lytham Hop House (exact time tbc), with plans to visit 2 Good Beer Guide (GBG) pubs; Taps & Craft House Beer Café (opens 4pm), a ‘Spoons, Northern Monkey Lytham & others.

We’re going to meet up at the Taps at 1:15. It has a good range of cask beers on and has been in the GBG for years.

Return train;

d Lytham 17:45
a Preston 18:11
d Preston 18:44
a Blackburn 19:00
d Blackburn 19:35
a Langho 19:48
a Whalley 19:52
a Clitheroe 20:01

Hope to see some of you there.

Ian Sutton

The UK’s definitive guidebook to good pubs that serve real ale across the UK. Refreshed and updated for its 53rd edition, it is fully revised and features recommended pubs across the United Kingdom that serve the best real ale as well as a comprehensive listing of UK breweries. This is the complete book for beer lovers and for anyone wanting to experience the UK’s finest pubs. The Good Beer Guide is completely independent, with listings based entirely on evaluation by CAMRA members. The foreword for this year’s guide has been penned by Ed Byrne, comedian and beer lover. Famous for his #preshowpints on social media, he has posted about the various bars and breweries he has sampled around the UK prior to his shows.

Click here to order your copy.

Regarding the trip to Todmorden on the 3rd, the United Services Club doesn't open on Wednesday so we'll meet in the White Hart. Looking forward to seeing you all.

WhatPub.com where you will have submitted your beer scores will be shut down from 25 August 2025. and you'll now need to go to the main CAMRA website or mobile version to submit your scores.

We’ve brought all our data and pub-going tools together, so you can get the best of everything CAMRA has to offer in one convenient place.

After a very long hiatus, due to a number of factors, we are updating the Witch Ale News(letter) page once more.

You will be aware the branch covers a large geographic area and we need your assistance to provide information on what’s going on pub, club and brewery wise across East Lancs as we aim create an archive of the changing times within the area.

Please email any news or views from your local pub, club or brewery to :- ku.gro.armac.scnaltsae@swenelahctiw

I look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers

Alan Leach - Webmaster