Preparations for Lytham Beer Festival at Lowther Pavillion, 2009. Ray Jackson and CAMRA colleagues roll out the barrells.Preparations for Lytham Beer Festival at Lowther Pavillion, 2009. Ray Jackson and CAMRA colleagues roll out the barrells.
Preparations for Lytham Beer Festival at Lowther Pavillion, 2009. Ray Jackson and CAMRA colleagues roll out the barrells.

Raising a glass to the Fylde's finest ales

This week marks the 50th year of the foundation of the Campaign for Real Ale and Lancashire was one of the first to sign up.

The Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale was formed by four men who were disillusioned by the domination of the UK beer market by a handful of companies pushing products of low flavour and overall quality. The West Lancashire branch, which encompassed Blackpool, was formed as the fourth of its kind on June 25, 1973 and the Fylde branch followed in 1974.

Their first meeting was held in the Kings Arms, Blackpool. By 1980, the branch had renamed itself Blackpool Fylde and Wyre CAMRA. Beer and Cider festivals are still hugely anticipated events on the Fylde Coast - here are a selection of pictures from CAMRA events across the years.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.