On 17th October, Trafford & Hulme gathered at The Salisbury Ale House to present the pub with the Pub Of The Season Award for Autumn 2013.

Owner John Rowlinson and his team were very proud to receive the award and have even invested in advertising the award on the hoardings outside the pub.

Manager Matt, Heather Airlie, John Rowlinson

Trafford & Hulme Branch presents a number of awards to recognise achievement and excellence and achievement in pubs & clubs across the branch area.

Quarterly Awards

Pub Of The Season

Awarded quarterly to a pub or bar within the branch area which has excelled in one or more areas:
a) introducing real ale to a new area or market where none has been available
b) on-going excellence in the quality of real ales (and ciders) on offer
c) on-going excellence of service to customers and/or the local community
d) significant increases in the sales of real ales and/or traditional ciders
e) excellence in support promotion of CAMRA and its aims
f) significant charitable work

Annual Awards

From 2018, all annual awards will be voted for at an awards meeting held in February.

Pub Of The Year (POTY)

Awarded annually to a pub or bar which in the opinion of the membership "ticks all the boxes". It should ideally offer a range of quality real ales, including speciality styles like dark beers; offer good real cider and perry; and offer at least one LocAle. A branch pub of the year should be a community pub that provides events and services for the local community. The pub should have a strong identity and personality that will often reflect the tastes of the licensee. The pub should exude a sense of welcome and the experience of your visit should leave you wanting to return.

The pub or bar should be the one the branch feels is the very best overall in our area as the Pub Of The Year shall be put forward by the branch for entry into the Greater Manchester Regional round of the CAMRA National Pub Of The Year award where it will be judged on quality of cask ale (and cider); atmosphere; décor; customer service; welcome; value for money; customer mix.

The Pub Of The Year shortlist is comprised the five pubs with the best scores from the National Beer Scoring Sysyem, the four preceeding Pub Of The Season winners and previous Pub Of The Year.

Cider Pub Of The Year (CPOTY)

The Cider & Perry Pub Of The Year award recognises a pub, bar or club that has best excelled in the promotion of real traditional draught ciders and perries appropriately served. Quality of the cider and perry offered is the most important criteria alongside overall promotion of real cider and perry and cider producers by the pub (e.g. posters and literature in the pub; tasting events; cider and perry pub festivals). A branch cider/perry pub of the year should offer a good range of quality real cider and perry, and ideally the choice over time should include a range of styles from different cider producers.

Club Of The Year

Awarded annually to the club, which shows the greatest commitment to Quality Real Ale. Factors to be considered are quality of cask ale (and cider); sympathy with CAMRA's aims (e.g. CAMRA literature displayed; hosting CAMRA events such as branch or committee meetings); welcome given to non-member cask ale drinkers; value for money on cask ales and ciders; promotion of real ale (e.g. real ale beer festivals, brewery nights, other real ale promotions).

Additionally CAMRA members must be welcomed to drink in the club on production of a current CAMRA membership card (guest admission fees and maximum visits before joining the club may apply).

Best Newcomer

Awarded annually to the pub, bar or club which having opened in the 15 months preceding the award best fulfils the attributes of a good pub, bar or club. The factors to be judged are the same as considered when judging for Pub Of The Year - quality of cask ale (and cider), atmosphere, décor, customer service, welcome, value for money and customer mix.

Pubs, bars and clubs which have re-opened after a period of closure shall be eligible if they had been closed for a period of 12 months or more before re-opening under new management.

Best LocAle Pub/Club

Awarded annually to the pub, bar or club which the membership feels has done the most in the preceding 12 months to support and promote the CAMRA LocAle Scheme, serving quality locally brewed ales, encouraging their customers to choose locally brewed products and educating them about the origins of the real ale on offer.

Most Improved Pub/Club

Awarded annually to the pub, bar or club which the membership feels has shown the greatest overall improvement over the 12 months preceding the award.
The factors to be judged are the same as considered when judging for Pub Of The Year - quality of cask ale (and cider), atmosphere, décor, customer service, welcome, value for money and customer mix.

Best Community Pub

Awarded annually to the pub or bar which is considered to best embody the attributes of a true community pub and which has a sense of the pub belonging to the people and the local community.

Examples of a pubs role in the community include:
• Notice boards featuring local events
• Sports teams linked with the pub
• Pub games team nights held
• Hosting of meetings for local community groups.
• Organisation of charity fundraisers#
• Organisation of trips for customers
• Provision of services to the community (e.g. post office, parcel collection, shop)

Occassional Award

Cask Champion Award

The Trafford & Hulme Cask Champion award was created in 2010 to recognise the achievements of a person, group, pub or company that have made an outstanding contribution to furthering CAMRA's aims in the branch area.

It can be awarded whenever the branch deems that there is a suitable recipient.

Trafford and Hulme CAMRA have chosen The Salisbury as their Pub of the Season for Autumn 2013. Situated on Wakefield Street just off Oxford Road, at the bottom of Oxford Road Station steps, this “alternative” may not be to everyone’s taste but their passion for real ale cannot be denied.

By the time you read this they will have just been awarded the regional InnServe Best Cellar Award 2013, this is in recognition of the high standards of cellarmanship and dispense. John Rowlinson, the landlord for 10 years is justly proud and said that “they were now through to the national competition” and he paid tribute to Matt Muszynsky and his small team who look after the cellar.

The Trafford & Hulme Pub Of The Season for Summer 2013 is The City Arms, Manchester.

Landlord Steve Crook presented with award by branch secretary Caroline O'Donnell

The City Arms is one of the real gems of our city's pub scene, tucked away on Kennedy Street, just off Albert Square. While press talking about the city's great pubs often focus on more historic pubs like The Britons Protection or Thomas' Chop House, for a traditional regulars pubs that focuses on beer, there are none better than The City Arms.

The pub has featured in the Good Beer Guide for the last 17 consecutive years. Landlord Steve Crook has been looking after the beer at the pub for seven and a half years, originally as cellar-man and more latterly as landlord. In fact, Steve was responsible for the beer quality which won the pub its previous Pub Of The Season award in 2008.