CAMRA is well known as a volunteer-led organisation which hosts beer and cider festivals all around the UK. If however you are a CAMRA member, there is another event you can enjoy which is free to attend: the Members’ Weekend!
Essentially this is similar to a weekend beer festival but hosted in a different location every year. It also includes CAMRA’s AGM and Conference. The AGM serves as the opportunity to vote in new members of the National Executive (who are also the company directors of CAMRA Ltd) and to receive the accounts.
Conference is when we hear reports from the chairman and the chief executive, debate motions from members and celebrate members’ and branches’ achievements, with the presentation of various awards.
Conference can be quite interesting, although I have never got up early enough to catch the actual AGM.
What is most interesting is the dedicated members’ bar! This serves a range of fantastic local beers and ciders that you won’t find in a lot of pubs; carefully curated by local experts where the drinks you buy are very likely to be supporting local brewers and small businesses. You can also get your beers/ciders in thirds and halves, thus offering the opportunity to try even more delightful drinks without risking a massive hangover.
The Members’ Weekend also offers the opportunity to go on tours of local breweries (Friday/Saturday evenings) as well as attend on-site fringe activities (just like other conferences), mostly on Saturday afternoon. These are usually on the theme of beer/cider education, such as tutored tastings, or support for development of branches e.g. member recruitment. You can, of course, just stay in the bar! Every year there is something different and this year cider fans will be well catered for; not only are we in the West Country but 2025 is the 50th anniversary of CAMRA campaigning on real cider and perry.
The next Members’ Weekend will be held on 11 to 13 April in Torquay on the English Riviera. It’s not a place I’ve been to before so it offers an opportunity to explore a new town as well. There’s usually an excellent short guide to the area (prepared by the CAMRA branch hosting the event) which points you to local hostelries, where the ale (and/or cider) is good! It’s perfectly planned for a weekend away. Arrive on Friday, check into your hotel, then (from 4pm) you can sign in to the venue, get your member’s bag and head on into the members’ bar. On Saturday morning, there is the short AGM followed by conference. The bar opens at lunchtime and, afterwards, conference resumes, followed by the fringe activities. It can be a very busy day! If, however, the weather is good, perhaps you’ll take time to explore Torquay e.g. Torre Abbey, the beach and the harbour. Conference continues on Sunday morning with the bar opening at lunchtime so you can try a few more beers/ciders in the afternoon before travelling home or possibly checking out the local pubs.
I’ve been to the last three Members’ Weekends, in Eastbourne, Sheffield and Dundee, and, as you may have gathered from my sales pitch, I’m planning on my fourth! I can’t say I have attended that much of the official business, but, each year, it is an opportunity to dip your toes into something different. Highlights of Eastbourne were a long walk on the Downs and a tour of the Long Man Brewery. Sheffield involved exploring the city and the pubs around Kelham Island. Dundee was mostly art and history (RRS Discovery, the Verdant Works Museum and the V&A). For a full account of last year’s event, see my article here.
And as for Torquay? Well, I’m not sure what we’ll do yet because, at the time of writing, the full programme hasn’t been revealed but I am looking forward to it. You do, of course, have to be a CAMRA member to attend Members’ Weekend. So, if you’re a CAMRA member, why not login and register to attend now? Remember, it’s free to attend and early registration means you get early notification of the trips and activities, some of which book out quickly. You can also get more involved by volunteering – see the event page to be part of Team Torquay. If you want to bring your partner you can add them to your membership for just £8. And if you’re not yet a member, you can join here and get all the other benefits that CAMRA membership brings.
Maria Freeman