Candidate statement

This candidate did not provide a hustings statement.

Candidate video

This candidate did not provide a video.

Proposers

Gary Chester

Nick Bosley

Ricky Holden

Kevin Keavney

Laura Emson

Nik Antona

Lee Wood

Jo Walley

Harry McCann

Scott Spencer

Candidate statement

What experience do you have of volunteering within CAMRA and how do you consider these experiences will be useful if you are elected? 

I have made myself available to CAMRA branches nationwide to offer advice and meet up to discuss ongoing issues in their areas. I have attended CAMRA meetings by invitation in several areas of England and Scotland.  I have scheduled meetings with endless CAMRA branch leaders including Fife, Glasgow, Newcastle and Ely and have actively assisted them in localised campaigns, whenever an issue has arisen with a pub in their area. 

What relevant skills and experiences do you have from life that will enhance the National Executive and what would you expect to contribute?

I have been involved in the pub trade since the age of 16. I began my training with Whitbread PLC in 1997 and was promoted to Deputy Manager at age 19 and General Manager by age 21. I live and breathe the licenced trade and currently work as a full time campaigner for pubs via my social media channels known as The Great British Pub Crawl. I have dedicated my life to the preservation of pubs and have worked in just about every aspect of the licenced trade. I believe that my knowledge and understanding of the problems faced by publicans on a daily basis, and my network of industry experts that have become friends and confidants, give me a unique insight into the magnitude of the issues faced by our independent breweries and pubs. 

If elected, what vision do you have for the next four years as you influence the organisation as a member of the National Executive?  

I have always been someone who leads from the front and I feel as part of the National Executive I can assist in driving us forward and ensuring the long-term future and vision of CAMRA is met. I also believe that with my own current role and platform, I can heavily influence increasing membership and getting us new, younger members who will champion the organisation for decades to come. 

What other statement would you like to make to support your candidacy? 

I live and breathe for this industry. To me, it isn’t just a job, the preservation of our nations pubs is a calling. Our pubs are our heritage and our history. They are ingrained in the very fabric of our society. CAMRA’s objective was to save cask ale and we have succeeded in doing that, now it’s time to save our pubs and ensure that we have a place to sell cask ale for centuries to come. From me, you will get 100% commitment to the cause, because this is the life that I have chosen, and that I already live every day. Last year I visited over 4,000 pubs and I’m confident that is more than anyone else in the country. I speak to landlords daily and I campaign side by side with them across the country. My belief is that, as a strong part of CAMRA, I can help us make a difference to our pubs in every area of the country. 

Candidate video

Proposers

Lucy Cousins

Gary Timmins

Andy Heath

Paul Hilhouse

Joe Crawford

Sarah Crawford

Andrew Parkin

John Winney

Philip Eden

J Mark Dodds

Candidate statement

I have been an active member of the Campaign for many years, including serving as a Branch Secretary, Beer Festival Beer Orderer as well as volunteering with both the Site Team and as a Deputy Manager with the Foyer Team at GBBF. I have gained valuable experience at both a local and national level of how the Campaign works, whilst also getting to know many members who I hope would feel confident to contact me about issues in the campaign which concern them. 

I have previously served as a director of a volunteer-led organisation and would bring this experience to the National Executive ensuring that active volunteers feel supported and valued. My organisational skills from the live events industry I feel will be valuable to the Campaign as we look to regroup from the current financial situation and see the relaunch of many of our beloved events.  

I have also worked in the trade in the past in a successful and respected brewpub and will be able to bring this experience to the National Executive to help guide campaigning to support and grow the licensed trade. 

I am passionate about the campaign and would love to see it grow from strength to strength. If elected I would seek to encourage more members to become active in the Campaign, joining in with local activities in our Pub and Club of the Year competitions and taking an active part in organising our wonderful beer festivals. In four years time I would love to see CAMRA in a solid financial position, with a growing active membership that truly reflects the diversity of not only our entire membership but also continuing to grow in its support of the UK’s rapidly changing pub and brewing industry. 

Pubs are the heart of our communities and a massive contributor to our national economy and I hope to help CAMRA to continue to work hard to support and grow this important part of our national heritage and ensure both its, and CAMRAs, future. 

Candidate video

Proposers

Shelly Bentley

Aidan Hale

Ellie Eames

Julian Dungey

Glen Marshall

Steven Saunders

Antony Walbank

Jo Walbank

Mark Sharratt

Gillian Harrison

Candidate statement

What experience do you have of volunteering within CAMRA and how do you consider these experiences will be useful if you are elected? 

I am a previous member of the NE (two terms), I was a Regional Director for 14 years and have just concluded a 1-year hand over term as Regional Director I have chaired a number of national advisory committee’s and been a core member of other advisory and statutory committees.  I have held multiple committee posts at branch level, all of which shows experience. 

What relevant skills and experiences do you have from life that will enhance the National Executive and what would you expect to contribute?

My day job was/is a branch manager running a plumbing and heating business. Knowing budgets, managing staff, approachable to customers. All of which applies to both our members and the pub/brewery industry. Being able to communicate and be receptive to another point of view is essential. We are a bottom up organisation, which means being a good listener is as valuable as a good talker. 

If elected, what vision do you have for the next four years as you influence the organisation as a member of the National Executive? 

I am principally a team player. I have done it before and want to use my experience to get us back on an even keel. Nobody can join the NE and think they can change it, nobody. There are 11 other principled other members who also think they have the ideas to take us forward. But individually we can influence from the inside. From where we are currently, I would like to help us get to a position where we can start to rebuild, to enable us to take on the big brewers, and support our pubs and breweries.  

What other statement would you like to make to support your candidacy? 

As a previous member of the NE, I know how it works. I was finance director when covid hit, I approved furlough for our staff to ensure we kept the talent. I was pubs campaigns director when we had the big rally in London. I have been chair of multiple national committees. I have the experience to offer the current NE to help them and the campaign as a whole get through what we find ourselves in now.  

Candidate video

Proposers

Julie Squires

Michael Chandler

Mel James-Henry

Gary Timmins

Jonathan Hall

Ian Rayner

Gillian Yates

Nick Bosley

Nick Boley

Pete Elloy

Candidate statement

I’ve been a member of CAMRA, on and off since the early 1980’s, the current spell (approaching 10 years) being the longest uninterrupted period. During most of that time my interest in beer has taken a back seat to work and family, and CAMRA volunteering has been limited to occasional help at beer festivals. 

My work experience, over 2 very different careers is of more relevance and import to this role. The first 35+ years of my working life was spent in local government culminating in senior management roles as Head of Housing Services and Head of Corporate Property with a Unitary Council. 

I had responsibility for formulating and implementing long term strategies for housing provision, homelessness, housing support services, maximising the value of land and commercial property etc. I’d hope to use this experience of strategic activity in a complex political environment to contribute to CAMRA’s strategic development. 

Taking early retirement in 2016, led by my love of beer, I founded Leigh on Sea Brewery in 2017 together with my wife and an old friend. Notwithstanding the recent challenges to brewery and hospitality industries; Covid, inflation/cost of living and a punitive taxation regime etc(!) the brewery has established a good name for the quality and variety of its beer.  It is hanging in there; continuity is success as a young, small independent in the current environment. 

Early in my new career I recognised the need for a more level playing field for Indie Beer in the face of macro breweries and the pub co’s exploitation of the beer tie to keep smaller breweries off the bar. So I’ve taken an active role in SIBA, serving as an East Region Director for five years and as Regional Chair since 2023. My Director roles on the National SIBA Board include serving on the Competitions and the Standards and Ethics Committees. 

Over the past 18 months I’ve scaled down my work at the brewery and am now fully retired – in keeping with that I’ve just now stepped down from my SIBA roles. Consequently I now have capacity to use my skills, experience – and my strongly held vision for the future of beer in this exciting NEC role. 

Cask beer is my focus and my own beer preference – but I’m also enthusiastic about quality, unfiltered/unpasteurised, independently produced keg. The beer community is a broad church and we need more younger and female beer drinkers to keep pubs and breweries alive. That means embracing choice and variety in beer styles and dispense methods. 

Distant and recent history shows us that the future of cask beer isn’t safe in the hands of the global brewers and their pub co customers. CAMRA, as the voice of discerning drinkers has a unique opportunity as a consumer driven organisation in an environment where other organised groups have vested interests. 

I’d welcome the chance to devote my knowledge, skills and experience to further our case as drinkers of a cherished artisan product and I’m happy to make myself available in any forum to discuss and debate. 

Candidate video

Proposers

Mike Woods

Andrew Ferguson

Nick Ferguson

Doug Wren

Paul Street

Graham Smith

Maria Doherty

Laura Bremner

Stephen Murray

Chris Thompson

Candidate statement

What experience do you have of volunteering within CAMRA and how do you consider these experiences will be useful if you are elected? 

I joined CAMRA at the 2004 GBBF and a couple of years later, after receiving a letter from the Kingston & Leatherhead branch saying they were lacking volunteers, I stepped up to be the membership secretary. I started volunteering at various beer festivals, became involved in London Regional pub judging, delivered London Drinkers, set up the branch Facebook group and attended the London Liaison committee as our branch representative. After a break when living abroad, I picked up similar roles again and for the last two years have been Treasurer of the Kingston Beer Festival, which has delivered a welcome surplus. As well as that I initiated our Quiet Pint initiative, which was featured in a recent edition of Wetherspoons News. 

What relevant skills and experiences do you have from life that will enhance the National Executive and what would you expect to contribute? 

As an accountant of nearly forty years standing, I would see my main contribution as being in the financial area. Given the dire financial warnings that have recently been issued by CAMRA Office, perhaps more help is needed in this area. I have read the accounts lodged at Companies House and the other filings and would be most interested to find out more. 

As part of my accountancy role I have delivered various training courses, and this also links in to my experience as an English teacher in China, where I taught general English as well as Business English. 

If elected, what vision do you have for the next four years as you influence the organisation as a member of the National Executive?

As referred to above, given the losses sustained in the past two years it seems the main vision is to ensure CAMRA is still alive four years hence. I believe we should concentrate on our core strengths of promoting real ale and supporting pubs. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that we do a tremendous job in maintaining and updating our pub database, monitoring planning applications, supporting ACVs and running successful local beer festivals. We do need to keep up with current trends, but by attempting to be all things to all people it is easy to lose focus. 

What other statement would you like to make to support your candidacy? 

It is a business cliché that it is easier to retain a customer than to generate a new one. As a membership secretary I am acutely aware of our age profile, and I think that is something to be celebrated rather than denigrated. We have people on our committee who have stepped up because they now have time to get involved and they are doing a great job. Whilst we all have our different opinions, our members have a vast database of knowledge, are passionate about real ale and pubs, are all supporting the campaign and we need to do all we can to keep them. 

Candidate video

Proposers

John Norman

Richard Russell

John Burns

Ellen Eames

Kevin Travers

Bob Geddes

Chris Lucking

Geoff Strawbridge

Christopher Miller

Dave Lands

Candidate statement

What experience do you have of volunteering within CAMRA and how do you consider these experiences will be useful if you are elected?

I am the vice chair and membership secretary of Ely and District Branch. I have previously been the Secretary of Durham Branch and the Public Affairs Officer at York Branch. I am the entrance manager for CAMRA York’s Beer festival and the Sponsorship Manager for the Elysian Beer Festival. In the past have volunteered at Cambridge, GBBF, Beckenham, York and Durham festivals. At a UK level I am a member of the Campaign and Communications Committee, which is at the centre of our campaigning activity.  My experiences at branch level would be invaluable in rooting my thinking and actions as a director in the lifeblood of CAMRA, which is our hard-working branches. My UK role means I understand how the campaign works and have a clear insight into what we do well and what we do less well.  

What relevant skills and experiences do you have from life that will enhance the National Executive and what would you expect to contribute?

I have been a teacher, a lecturer and am now a trade union officer. I know how to motivate volunteers, how to lead people, and how to create and communicate a clear message to a varied audience. My career has been one of public service and I would bring this ethos to the director role, as I have within my CAMRA branch and UK roles. I am an agent of change who is able to galvanise and lead people to success. I think I would bring a fresh perspective to the NE, which, as CAMRA faces considerable internal and external challenges, is very much needed.  

If elected, what vision do you have for the next four years as you influence the organisation as a member of the National Executive?

CAMRA is a trusted organisation that is present in the vast majority of pubs and communities. We have a public status and a legitimacy that many organisations can only strive for. We need to build upon this to become bigger, stronger and even more influential. I wish CAMRA to have more members and to focus on recruiting the next generation to carry our campaign forward as we face multiple challenges which threaten real ale, real cider and our pubs and clubs. I wish to encourage and enable all branches, festivals and CAMRA activity to be open to all and to actively strive to include groups who are currently less well represented in our ranks.  

What other statement would you like to make to support your candidacy?

I believe in CAMRA. I have worked with dedicated staff, UK-level volunteers and the lifeblood of CAMRA, which is branch level volunteers. I have found it impossible to defend the losses at the 2025 GBBF. I cannot fathom how this could happen, having been involved in branch level festival approval. No CAMRA member I know thought Birmingham NEC as a GBBF location would work. As director I would seek to enhance democracy, transparency and accountability to ensure UK level decisions are rooted in the reality of our branches and members.  

Candidate video

This candidate did not provide a video.

Proposers

William Smith

Christopher Tregellis

Neil Shaw

Kevin Keaveny

Philip Eden

Andrea Briers

Kelly Delmonego

Lynda Johnson

Paul Ainsworth

Chris Rouse