Branch News
Here is the latest news about pubs & breweries in the branch area.
- GBBF 2025 Moves to the NEC Birmingham
Friday 4 October 2024
Adam Gent, GBBF Organiser, is pleased to announce the triumphant return of the Great British Beer Festival, and we’ve taken the decision this year to move to a new home.
The festival will take place from 5-9 August 2025 at the NEC Birmingham, the first time we’ll be returning to the West Midlands since 1983. This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but we believe wholeheartedly that is the right change to make.
More information is on the Great British Beer Festival website 21, and as we move through the year we will have more announcements regarding breweries, Discovery Bar participants, entertainment and food.
If you are interested in volunteering for next year’s festival, please complete this short online form 16. Don’t worry, this is just to give us a feel for what we need to arrange – you won’t be held to what you enter and the usual application process will follow later. Completing the form will also allow us to contact you when the staffing form is available and with other relevant updates.
If you have any questions about The Great British Beer Festival 2025 please send them to ku.gro.armac@stneve and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
We can’t wait to see you there!
- The Swan Wins National Award for Best Community Pub.
Saturday 21 September 2024
The Swan in Clewer Village, Windsor is extremely proud to announce that we are the Winner of the ‘Best Community Pub’ category at the Great British Pub Awards 2024!
The award was announced at a gala ceremony in Manchester, heralded as the Oscars of the pub industry where pubs from across Britain compete for one of the industry’s most sought after accolades. It was presented live on stage to The Swan General Manager, Micky Foden-Andrews. The ceremony was live streamed to the pub, where a huge cheer went up as The Swan was announced the winner, leading to an evening of jubilant celebration.
This recognition turns the page of another chapter in The Swan’s unique story and presents an amazing opportunity for the future of the pub. As well as the winner’s trophy, now proudly displayed in the bar, the award entitles The Swan to a prize of £5000 which will be put towards the ongoing refurbishment works at the pub. More so, it recognises the combined efforts of everyone who has been a part of The Swan’s story in recent years, showcasing the power of community and acting as a beacon to others to do the same. Hopefully it will encourage more people to come down to The Swan to see what it is all about.
The prestigious Great British Pub Awards have been running for over 20 years and are organised by The Morning Advertiser, the UK pub industry’s leading trade publication.
General Manager Micky, who was flying the flag for The Swan along with his wife Jess, says “First and foremost, a huge thank you to The Swan team and all of our supporters . A community pub is nothing without its community! The energy and backing you have brought to The Swan over the past 5 years to bring it back to life has been astonishing. This can be seen in the dedication of our volunteers and the huge array of different clubs, activities and events we hold here, as well as our unique partnership with The Green Room College. This helped us demonstrate to the judges that we are more than a pub, we are the heart of the community with lots going on, enabling us to stand out in a very strong field of worthy finalists.”.