The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has announced the four finalists in its 2024 Club of the Year competition.
“We have a very exciting competition this year, with a fantastic final line-up to the Club of the Year award,” said competition organiser Phil Gregg.
“These four clubs exemplify what people come to expect from an excellent social club — important community spaces that promote the social wellbeing of their local area with a commitment to top-quality cask beer. I urge everyone to seek out the top four clubs in the UK, and to visit social clubs in your local area.”
The finalists
Haydock Reading Room, St Helens
A warm and welcoming place for all who like a well-maintained pint with good company, since 1884. Three cask beers are available, with at least one from a local brewery. The club hosts live music and other events for the community over weekends.
Kettering Midland Band Social Club
The club has plenty of space to accommodate guests, with a long public bar, sunken lounge area, a separate games area, and a large concert room for events. Five guest beers from independent breweries are on the bar, including one dark beer. Bar manager David Bellamy has previously won Club Mirror’s Bar Manager of the Year. The club actively strives to entertain its community with a busy social diary and regular organised trips.
Marden Village Club, Kent
This grade II listed community hub won the Club of the Year title in both 2022 and 2023. It boasts six cask beers at the bar, generally from local microbreweries, and with one dark beer always available. Snooker and darts teams are very poplar, and there are regular bingo nights.
Firs Club, Codsall
A comfortably furnished private club with its own on-site microbrewery, the Firs Club’s highlight of the year is its November beer festival, which is a great showcase for its own brews. At the bar there are five locally-sourced changing cask beers, usually including one mild. Guests can enjoy a pint in the bar area, relax in the quiet lounge, play pool and darts in the separate sports lounge, or play snooker upstairs.
