I've been setting up all day for Bury Beer Festival. Into an empty, ancient hall, with no goods lift and a lot of steep stairs, a few old men have carted a mountain of heavy kit. We have already transformed it into something that looks pretty good. However CAMRA needs younger members to take over this task. Frankly, it is a miracle we do what we do, but like cask mild we are fading away. CAMRA has loads of young members, but few active ones. They seem to regard it as a social club, which is fair enough to a point, but all social clubs need someone to run them and to do the things that make it all worthwhile. Time is against us, so if you like beers festivals and are a young CAMRA member- and I'd say in this context under forty - do offer your local CAMRA branch help. It really will make a difference. (Respect to Maieb in this context!)
Still, it's all in there now and Sunday, when we have to take it all down again, seems far away. In the meantime we have lots of good beer and bonus, you lucky people. I'll be looking after the beer, so it will be as good as any festival in the land. Don't believe it? Come along and see for yourself!
The 'old guard' of CAMRA are really quite fantastic. Our organisation SOBA was started by young people ,including myself, but it has been the older ex-pat CAMRA members who have really got things happening. We now have a very successful national newsletter, advertising revenue, and BLO's in the planning thanks to them.
ReplyDeleteInvolving young blood is a problem but perhaps as people age and as their families grow older, careers become established they have more time to contribute.