In 2007, CAMRA’s Greater London Region decided to celebrate the memory of John Young and his impact on real ale and pubs within London by introducing an annual award in his name. The award is presented to an individual or organisation that the London branches of CAMRA believe has made a substantial contribution to promoting real ale and/or pubs within the Greater London area. Nominations are made by the London branches and voted on by them. The award is not open to volunteers or groups within CAMRA.
The award’s objectives are:
- to celebrate the memory of John Young and his impact on real ale and pubs within London;
- to publicly acknowledge on an annual basis an individual or organisation, external to CAMRA, that the London branches believe has done the most for real ale and/or pubs within the Greater London area;
- to raise the profile of CAMRA within Greater London and the activities of London branches.
This year, the winner, nominated by the East London & City (ELAC) branch, is Robert Thomas, the founder of the Remarkable Pubs company. The nomination reads as follows:
Founded in 1985 by Robert Thomas, Remarkable Pubs’ first venture was the purchase and renovation of the Prince George in Hackney. Cask ale pumps were installed as part of their mission to serve great beer to the local community. 17 pubs later (11 in the ELAC area), Robert’s venture has resulted in a very remarkable and much loved set of pubs. Their acquisitions are always carefully restored with some magnificent examples including the Boleyn Tavern in Upton Park where a huge amount of love and care went into bringing this beautiful and majestic building back to its former impressive Victorian glory. Other recent examples of restored pubs include the Holly Tree, whose large pub interior has been beautifully refurbished with a classic look and feel, and the Leyton Engineer, in the old Victorian Leyton Town Hall built in 1895, which has had an extensive and loving restoration. All their pubs serve a selection of cask ales, with many of them in the Good Beer Guide. Robert Thomas continues to run Remarkable Pubs as its Chairman.
The London Pubs Group recently toured a number of Remarkable’s pubs and their report gives you a good idea of the company’s achievements. See here.
We are pleased to say that the award will be presented by John’s nephew, Torquil Sligo-Young, on Tuesday 28 October, at the Prince George, 40 Parkholme Road, Dalston (7pm for 7.30).