As mentioned previously, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, CAMRA is awarding 32 Golden Awards. These are being given in three categories: Pubs, Pints (which is breweries and cider producers) and People. Details of the two London pubs that won awards were given here.
The third London ‘Pub’ award listed was for a club that had equally been recognised. Congratulations go to the Leyton Orient Supporters’ Club. No stranger to awards, LOSC has been CAMRA’s Greater London Club of the Year seven times. It was also Joint Winner of CAMRA’s National Club of the Year competition in 2008 and has been runner up twice. In addition it has also won Club Mirror’s National Club of the Year prize.
CAMRA’s Greater London Regional Director, Geoff Strawbridge, said, “Clubs tend to be a rarity in selling real ale in comparison to pubs. Around a third of the 519 clubs across the whole of London sell real ale and yet they do a terrific job in providing their members with quality beer but the Leyton Orient Supporters Club Bar is exceptional and, like many others, it is run entirely by volunteers.”
A representative of CAMRA’s East London & City branch explained what makes the club so special, “The Leyton Orient Supporters Club is iconic with CAMRA members and real ale loving football supporters. It has become a genuine haven for real beer fanatics with a range of beers from mainly small and microbreweries throughout the country. Typically, the club gets through 12 to 15 different beers each match day! The quality of the beer is always excellent, resulting in the club featuring in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide on a number of occasions.”
The full address of the club is the Breyer Group Stadium, Oliver Road, Leyton E10 5NF. It usually only opens on home match days and for special events so check before you visit. You will find details on their website www.orientsupporters.org/bar/4532477306.
The presentation is scheduled to take place on 8 October.
One other club won a Golden Award: Appleton Thorn Village Hall in Appleton Thorn, Cheshire.
BREWERS AND CIDER MAKERS
The list of breweries and cider makers to receive Golden Awards was released on 14 September. There are 18 of them, including such stalwarts as Adnams, Batemans, Harvey’s, Shepherd Neame and Timothy Taylor. The newer breweries recognised included Coach House, Durham, Hop Back, Moor and West Berkshire. Only one London brewery is so recognised: Fuller’s, honoured very much in retrospect since the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick now belongs to Asahi.
As CAMRA’s awards director, Gary Timmins, said, “These awards reflect the dedication and legacies of these businesses over the last 50 years, and the impact they have had on our campaign and on British brewing and cider production. I hope all involved with these businesses, both present and past, will take this award as appreciation for all the hard work involved in producing pints of great quality over the decades. They are breweries or cider and perry producers that have gone above and beyond in delivering excellence or innovation over the years. I applaud them for their dedication and being industry stalwarts.”
The winners of the People category will be announced later in the year. You can find out more about the awards at https://camra.org.uk/50-year