What is CAMRA?

CAMRA campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. We are an independent, voluntary organisation with over 100,000 members and have been described as the most successful consumer group in Europe. CAMRA promotes good-quality real ale and pubs, as well as acting as the consumer's champion in relation to the UK and European beer and drinks industry. We aim to:

  1. Protect and improve consumer rights
  2. Promote quality, choice and value for money
  3. Support the public house as a focus of community life
  4. Campaign for greater appreciation of traditional beers, ciders and perries as part of our national heritage and culture
  5. Seek improvements in all licensed premises and throughout the brewing industry
Why not join us today if you care about great quality real ale and pubs?

Students
If you are a student please be aware that we receive a significant volume of requests to help with dissertations and coursework. Although we will help where we can, please make use of the resources available on our website and fully research CAMRA's remit before submitting your questions to us.

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is an independent, voluntary, consumer organisation which campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights.

Membership is open to all individuals although corporate entities such as breweries and pubs are not members; we currently have over 120,000 individual members.

CAMRA is governed by a voluntary unpaid national executive, elected by the membership. We have a branch structure which means that all members can join a local CAMRA branch and campaign and socialise locally. There are around 200 branches covering the UK and many of the branches run local beer festivals, publish local newsletters and run social events to pubs and breweries.

Although we are a volunteer-led organisation there is also a small professional staff of twenty five responsible for central campaigning, research, membership services, publishing, marketing and administration.

CAMRA is financed through membership subscriptions, sales of products such as books and sweatshirts, and from the proceeds of beer festivals. We are a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee and our accounts are lodged annually with Companies House.

Benefits of CAMRA Membership

Benefits of being a member of CAMRA include receiving the monthly What's Brewing? newspaper, which is always full of interesting articles, and reduced admission charges to most CAMRA beer festivals. CAMRA produces several books and guides each year that are available to members at reduced prices.

Campaigns

There are national and local campaigns as CAMRA maintains its efforts to ensure the availability of traditional real ales. It is campaigning to ensure that every pint of beer bought actually contains a full pint: far too many do not. CAMRA campaigns for reduced tax on beer and assistance for smaller brewers.

Locally, branches campaign to keep breweries open and to protect the heritage of grand heritage pubs.

It should be pointed out that we also meet in pubs very often, where we talk and drink beer a great deal in variable proportions.

Contacts and Joining

CAMRA - The Campaign for Real Ale

230 Hatfield Road,                    
St. Albans,
Herts
AL1 4LW

tel +44 (0) 1727 867201
fax +44 (0) 1727 867670

Return to Home Page