Nominations open for CAMRA’s Pub Saving Award

CAMRA is looking for the next winner of its newly instituted Pub Saving Award, which recognises people that have come together to save a pub that would have otherwise been demolished or converted to another use.

The award aims to secure publicity for pub-saving campaigns to encourage others to get involved in saving their local. Last year the Save the Drovers Group took home the crown after the community came together to re-open the pub’s doors under community ownership just 20 months after its sudden closure.

Paul Ainsworth, Chair of CAMRA’s Pub Campaigns Group says: "We are losing pubs at a frightening rate of 21 a week. However, those rates of closure would be much higher without the huge number of campaigners around the country who are willing to pull out all the stops to save their local. Our aim is to showcase the fantastic achievements of these community groups around the country and inspire others to fight to save their local pub from closure.”

Nicole Hamilton, Head of Frontline at Plunkett Foundation, said “Plunkett is proud to be promoting and supporting CAMRA’s Pubs Saving Award. This award is a fantastic acknowledgment of the extensive time, commitment and energy invested by community members when saving their local pub, and how a co-operative pub offers so much back to their whole community. It will be a wonderful accolade for the co-operative pub sector as a whole when the winner of the Pubs Saving Award 2017 is announced!”

The award can be made to any group which has carried out campaigning activity to save a pub from closure over the last 12 months. To enter the competition simply e-mail paul.ainsworth@camra.org.uk before the 5th December 2017 with your story.