London Region

Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

London theatre bar scoops CAMRA national title

CAMRA National Club of the Year 2012 London theatre bar scoops CAMRA national title

WINNER: The Questors Grapevine Club 12 Mattock Lane Ealing, London, W5 5BQ (contact- Jon Webster, Club Chairman, 07970 858325)

Clubs from Aberdeenshire, Dorset and Northamptonshire make top four!

A popular theatre bar in west London, staffed solely by volunteers, has today been recognised as the best club in Britain by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

The Questors Grapevine Club, situated inside The Questors Theatre, Ealing, has been named CAMRA's National Club of the Year 2012 after a panel of judges were impressed by the Club's focus on supporting local breweries and its dedication to promoting quality real ale to a wide audience. CAMRA's flagship clubs competition is organised in partnership with the trade publication Club Mirror.

The Grapevine was founded in 1959 by members of The Questors Theatre to act both as a social centre and as a source of funds to support the theatre's activities.

With considerable help in the cellars from nearby brewery Fuller's (of Chiswick), the Club places a big emphasis on sourcing local, with breweries such as Twickenham, Windsor & Eton and Rebellion also regularly featuring at the bar. An ever-present in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide, The Questors Grapevine Club is a previous winner of local CAMRA awards on numerous occasions, and finished as a National Finalist in the competition in 2006.

Having gone one better this year, the bar's 13-strong committee of volunteers were delighted to win the award. Jon Webster, Chairman of The Questors Grapevine Club, said:

'This award is a fantastic achievement. We are a small group of volunteers, most of whom have full time jobs, and we run the club in our spare time. We are dedicated to providing a good service and are particularly proud of our reputation for selling good quality, well-kept real ale.

'We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award and are lucky to enjoy the support of our customers and our families, without whom this success would not have been possible.'

In order to find the National Club of the Year for 2012, submissions were put forward by CAMRA's 200-plus local branches across the country, with the criteria based around the club's commitment to real ale. After a year of local and regional rounds, The Questors Grapevine Club beat three other National finalists to the accolade. These finalists are-

Colliton Club, Dorchester, Dorset Rushden Historical Transport Society, Rushden, Northamptonshire Ravenswood Club (Royal British Legion), Banchory, Aberdeenshire John Holland, CAMRA Clubs Committee Chairman, heaped praise on the quality of the overall winner. He said:

'The success of The Grapevine stems from a group of dedicated people committed to supporting choice, and to offering an environment whereby people can learn more about the delights of good beer. It is very rare for a club of this nature to offer such a range of quality real ales, but there again such quality epitomises the level of detail seen throughout the venue, which is evident as soon as you walk through the doors.'

Press images released after the presentation can be obtained from the CAMRA press office by contacting Jon Howard on 07939 425471 or at ku.gro.armac@drawoh.noj.

All clubs considered for CAMRA's National Club of the Year title must be open to all, as CAMRA opposes restrictions on entry to clubs on the grounds of dress, shape, size, gender, sexuality, colour, ethnic origin, or religion.

WINNER: The Questors Grapevine Club, 12 Mattock Lane, Ealing, London, W5 5BQ

FINALISTS: -Colliton Club, Colliton House, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XJ, 01305 224503 -Rushden Historical Transport Society, Station Approach, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0AW, 01933 318988 -Ravenswood Club (Royal British Legion), 25 Ramsay Road, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, AB31 5TS, 01330 822347

For further information- CAMRA press office, 01727 798443 Jon Howard, CAMRA Press Manager, 07939 425471 Jon Webster, The Questors Grapevine Club Chairman, 07970 858325