09-Jan-2006 What's Brewing - Pubs week promo [MeshCMS]

09-Jan-2006 What's Brewing - Pubs week promo

New weapon in Campaigns fight to save our pub heritage

New initiative planned for Pubs Week promo

Blankety, Blank - the NPW promotional pack has a simple but handy blank poster for advertising pub events

CAMRA is to add a new weapon to its armoury in its fight to save Britain's vanishing pub heritage.

The Pubs in Time initiative, to be launched during National Pubs Week from 18-25 February, will see commemorative plaques appearing all over the country on the walls of inns and pubs where events of historical significance have taken place.

But the 1,001 inns where Queen Elizabeth I allegedly spent the night needn't apply - for CAMRA is to back up its new initiative by commissioning serious historical research aimed at making its plaques authoritative.

Eight pubs will receive their brown plaques during this year's NPW - but their identities are being kept a closely-guarded secret.

CAMRA Chief Executive Mike Benner said: "This is a truly important initiative of real value to the nation. Too many of our historically significant pubs have disappeared. The plaques will help preserve the heritage that remains."

The Pubs in Time scheme is an initiative that will appeal to heritage buffs — but another new initiative for this year's event might win broader support... because it's a promise of free beer for a year.

There's a simple question on the back of the NPW beermat concerning a conversation in a Cambridge pub that led to the discovery of DNA. The pub is one of the eight that will be honoured this year - but to say more would be giving the game away.

All the pub goer has to do is answer the question on the beermat correctly and send it to CAMRA HQ and they will stand a chance of winning beer for a year!

The NPW 2006 pre-launch campaign has got off to a great start, with 20 branches and almost 100 pubs ordering a total of 500 free promotional packs in the first week.

Marketing Manager Tony Jerome said: "We are delighted with the orders we received in the first week. To get 10 per cent of CAMRA branches ordering over 400 packs at this early stage is very promising. Packs will be distributed throughout January so that members can distribute them to pubs in their area."

Mr Jerome said he was also encouraged by the early response from pubs. "To have almost 100 pubs involved in early December is superb," he said.

CAMRA has also joined forces with The Publican newspaper, which is running a Proud of Pubs campaign to "showcase the fantastic things pubs, licensees and their staff are doing in their communities".

The Publican is supporting National Pubs Week with a series of stories and has played a major part in getting more pubs involved. Said Mr Jerome: "The pub has been unfairly blamed in the national press for causing binge drinking, and the new flexible licensing reforms have been incorrectly portrayed as 24-hours drinking. I hope this partnership will help restore the image of pubs and promote the benefits they offer to communities."

Go to www.pubsweek.org.uk [website may not exist anymore] for more info.