Events Coming Up
	Branch:	BRIGHTON & SOUTH DOWNS CAMRA
	Period:	Summer 2008; last updated 12th May 2008
	Social Sec:	John Kirkland, 01293 519844 home, (01293 503172 office) John Kirkland@btinternet.com (or Branch President Pete Coppard, 01273 683322)

Postcodes are so that you can locate the pubs on
Google Maps or Beer in the Evening website or Royal Mail site

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Thursday 15th May 8.00pm, Social, Basketmakers Arms, Brighton BN1 4AD, to sample, perhaps, some May milds?

Thursday 22nd May (evening) 6.30 from the Evening Star and pick-up points going West: Coach to survey candidates for Sussex Pub of the Year: Five Bells at Smock Alley and Royal Oak at Friday Street. If you'd like to come along contact John Kirkland or one of the other contacts. See letter below.

Friday 23rd May around 8pm - presentation at The Stand Up Inn, Lindfield, RH16 2HN, of Branch Cider Pub certificate; also Village/Country Pub of the Year. It will also be their Beer & Cider Festival that weekend - come if you can.

23 - 25 May is also Southwick Beer Festival at Southwick Community Association (just up from Southwick station) - we said we'd give it a mention. See www.southwickbeerfestival.co.uk

Sunday 25th May from about 7.30 - Ale Trail Launch Night at The Stanley Arms, Portslade BN41 1SS. Also Presentation of their Branch Pub of the Year Certificate. Come and get your passport. Book your bus trips. Meet Andy Rivett! Barbecue if fine.

Thursday 29th May, 8.00pm, Branch Meeting, The Stanley Arms, Portslade BN41 1SS.

Thursday 5th June (evening) from the Evening Star 6.30pm and pick-up points going East: Coach to survey candidates for Sussex Pub of the Year: White Rock Hotel in Hastings. If you'd like to come along contact John Kirkland or one of the other contacts. See letter below.

Thursday 12th June (evening) from the Evening Star 6.30pm and pick-up points going West: Coach to survey candidates for Sussex Pub of the Year: The Seal at Selsey. If you'd like to come along contact John Kirkland or one of the other contacts.

Fri 20 & Sat 21 June - the 12th South Downs Beer & Cider Festival, Lewes Town Hall. This is our Branch Festival - See poster below. Tickets now on sale.

July 4-6 is Glastonwick Beer Music & Poetry Festival at Church Farm Coombes and free shuttle bus from Shoreham. See/hear www.myspace.com/glastonwick

What follows is a Newsletter to CAMRA Members
- so if you are not... don't read this!
(Seriously though, if you want to 'attend' any of the presentations just be at the pub, and you may consider joining CAMRA?)

Dear Member,

Branch Pub of the Year Presentations

The presentation of Branch Pub of the Year will be made at the Stanley Arms, Portslade on the occasion of the Ale Trail launch on Sunday 25th May.
The presentation of Branch Cider and Country/Village Pub of the Year will be made at the Stand Up, Lindfield on Friday 23rd May. A cider and beer festival is being held at the pub over that weekend. We are considering whether or not it is viable to run a coach/minibus to this event from the Brighton area. If you are interested in attending this event, please let me know by the end of next week, i.e. Friday 2nd May. If there are insufficient numbers to justify hiring a coach or minibus, we will make our own way by train to Haywards Heath and travel to Lindfield by bus, taxi or on foot. The date for the presentation of the runner-up award to the Evening Star is still to be decided.

Sussex Pub of the Year
It is CAMRA policy that as many members as possible should be involved in the judging for the Sussex Pub of the Year. Our social secretary has therefore arranged visits to the winners of the other four Susses Branch Pub of the Year competitions. These will take place as follows:
Thursday 22nd May Five Bells, Smock Alley and Royal Oak, Friday Street.
Thursday 5th June White Rock Hotel, Hastings
Thursday 12th June The Seal, Selsey
For each of these a coach has been booked and will leave the Evening Star at 1830. Other pick-ups may be possible by arrangement. If you are interested in any of these trips, please let either me or John Kirkland (Social Sec) john.kirkland@btinternet.com know as soon as possible. First come, first served!
If you signed the lists at the Branch meeting, there is no need to reconfirm.

Jack Wilkinson (Brighton & South Downs CAMRA Branch Secretary

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Useful Contacts: Branch Contact John Kirkland (who is Social Secretary)

01293 519844 (home); 01293 503172 (office); or e-mail: John Kirkland

or Branch President Pete Coppard, tel. 01273 683322

A newsgroup for real ale news in the Brighton area: BrightonBeer. To join, send an e-mail to:
brightonbeer-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

And for a link to the Guide Book 'Brighton's Best Pubs', go to www.pubjury.co.uk.
This is not endorsed by CAMRA, nor particularly about real ale, but is quite a good guide to read.