Bell Inn to re-open soon

THE BELL INN, Whitchurch

UPDATE: GREAT NEWS – Application Approved

Some wonderful work has been taking place at the historic BELL INN Whitchurch to bring it back into life as a local public amenity which will help support both the town and the surrounding area's social, leisure and economic needs. 

The Bell, a Listed Building, closed a year ago having been under the wonderful ownwnership of popular publicans Jan and the late Paul Mcgarvey and is currently being renovated.

An Application has now been submitted for its Premises Licence, ref 26/01464/PREMV

The Campaign for Real Ale is sharing its own support here and asks its members, residents and our local Councillors to do the same.

Rural towns and their surrounding areas have lost far too many of its public houses and other services and much support as possible should be given to those who wish to develop businesses.  

The letter sent to the Licensing Committee is reproduced below. Copying and using its content is acceptable for anyone who wishes to express support.

This should be sent to licensing@basingstoke.gov.uk

Click to enlarge

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Jim Turner RIP, 1949 – 2026

Jim Turner 1949 – 2026

One of the local North Hampshire Campaign for Real Ale's earliest local supporters was laid to rest last week. Jim Turner, a much respected supporter of pubs and real ales had passed away at his home in Basingstoke.

Early days
Jim had been instrumental in the early development of the CAMRA in the area, having joined the then fledgling campaign group in 1975. He threw himself into the organisation with much gusto helping to arrange early beer festivals and social events firstly in Andover then later in the wider Basingstoke area.

Having attended Andover Grammar School he went on to study Graphic and Commercial Design at Salisbury College of Art in the 1960s before taking employment with Macmillan Education working on their publications.

In those early years he could always be called upon to help out producing notices and beer festival programmes, as well as helping behind the bars. He later went on to become the editor of the local CAMRA magazine 'Beer Lines' which won the Wessex area best CAMRA magazine award in 2014.

On leaving Macmillan Jim took up self-employment focussing on typesetting but suffered from a business failure where he was the victim of some questionable practices, but he kept his real ale connections.

Support for local pubs
Living in Basingstoke he supported a number of local pubs, primarily the traditional style hostelries that had survived the town's development, notably the Queen's Arms, the Bounty and the Soldiers Return. He was also true to his local Andover roots with the Weyhill Fair being a particular favourite which he regularly revisited.

Strong views
Jim held strong, some would say robust opinions and in later years found himself conflicted with some of the changes that CAMRA was making to its underlying principles.
In 2018, after more than 40 years of active membership, he decided not to renew as he did not like CAMRA taking on peripheral issues that he considered detracted from its core aims of supporting pubs and 'real ale'. 
"I think the organisation is being hijacked by people who have other priorities. Now, before you fire off a salvo, I am not saying you are wrong, just that this is not the organisation I joined."

He was not alone in such views.

Always remembered

Jim will always be remembered for giving so much to the support for local pubs, for beer festivals, and for campaigning, much carried out in the background and always in a very measured and thoughtful way. His smile under his baseball cap will be a memory that will never be lost.

On July 15th 2026, Jim was laid to rest at a small gathering at Andover Crematorium followed by a wake at the Malthouse in Andover.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Jim T – will always be remembered.

...and just for info...
2026 also sees the 50th anniversary of the publication of a CAMRA Hampshire Pub Guide for which Jim designed the front cover.

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Beers in the UK – You are being deceived

You're being misled about British Beer

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has released a hard-hitting consumer-led report on the UK beer market and the "stark state of British brewing" and setting out how customers are being deceived.

'Beer in the UK' states that most of those 'foreign' named beers on the bars such as Cruzcampo, Madri, Stella and San Miguel are in fact being brewed in industrial-sized beer factories in the UK, and are masquerading as continental products. They come from places such as Manchester, Burton on Trent, and Magor South Wales, 

It also sets out how publicans are massively constrained in which products they can sell, through restrictive ties and contracts that reduce or remove consumer choice.

One particular highlight in the report states:

"Beer consumers are routinely misled about the origins of their beers. Most big brand ‘foreign’ lagers are made in the UK, often to diluted recipes; most of the largest ‘craft’ beer brands are made by corporate producers; and many ‘local’ beers come from industrial-scale national plants, far from the locality suggested by their names."

CAMRA calls for this deception to end and that it must be made clear who owns and brews the beers on the bars. 
CAMRA also calls for an investigation into the industry by the Competition and Markets Authority and challenges the abnormally high levels of beer taxation.

The full report can be seen here:
https://camra.org.uk/beer-report

Hampshire Pub of the Year, 2026

The Flower Pots Inn, Cheriton

Affectionately called "The Pots", the Flower Pots Inn in the pretty Hampshire village of Cheriton is a friendly traditional style country inn, serving fine beers, excellent food and above all offering a welcome to everyone. 

This pub should not be missed
This is definitely not a pub to miss and has been announced as a worthy winner of the Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) Hampshire Pub of the Year for 2026. It now proceeds in the next round of the competition which leads towards being the national winner. Along with the other nominations, it was visited by a dedicated team of judges several times over the past few months using a detailed and trusted set of criteria ranging from quality of beer and community commitment to standard of service and range of facilities.

Widely recognised as a top pub
As a free house it is unrestrained by the excesses of the national pub companies, and has been a regular entry in the Good Beer Guide – in fact it has been more than regular having been in the last 52 editions, and incredible achievement.

Flower Pots Brewery
Set just off the village centre, the Pots also brews its own beer through the Flower Pots Brewery, which is found in many of the county's better pubs. A wide range of its own beers are also available at its annual beer festival on the end of August Bank Holiday which sees visitors flock from far and wide to enjoy music, food and over 100 different beers.

https://www.theflowerpots.co.uk/

Full results CAMRA Hampshire Pub of the Year – congratulations.

Overall Winner: 

FLOWER POTS INN, Cheriton 

Runner-up:                                   

ANDOVER TAP AT THE LAMB, Andover

Highly Commended Finalists:    

STAR INN, Bentley

JUNCTION TAVERN, Gosport

ALE HOUSE, Cowes IOW 

The annual beer festival with over 100 beers
28th – 30th August 2026

Pub of the Year presentation

Top awards have been achieved by the Andover Tap at the Lamb, as the local Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) announced its Pub of the Year Awards for 2026.
The community-focused pub was voted to be the best pub in the North Hampshire area for both beers and ciders. The awards also recognise aspects such as community support, facilities, service and social inclusivity.

Presentation
A presentation was held at the pub where publican Tim Abram and team were handed certificates for:

• North Hampshire (West area) Pub of the Year 2026
• North Hampshire Overall Pub of the Year 2026
• North Hampshire Cider Pub of the Year 2026
  
  

  

  Publican Tim Abram with his Pub of the Year Awards

Over 200 pubs eligible
Over 200 pubs are eligible for the awards in an area that stretches across the northern reaches of Hampshire including the main centres of Andover and Basingstoke. Hartley Wintney and Odiham are included to the east; Whitchurch, Sutton Scotney and Stockbridge are towards the west; and Tadley and Kingsclere are to the north.

Pride in its service
Tim and his committed team have created a unique community-style pub that prides itself on quality ales, craft beers and ciders. The pub also has a small in house occasional brewery and produces some excellent tasty ales. 

A real social centre
Regular activities are held ranging from the fortnightly themed food nights to brewery visits, silent discos, tasting sessions and charity fund-raising. Last year around £20,000 was raised for the local hospice Naomi House & Jack's Place. This year several thousand has already been raised for the Andover Young Carers charity. Beer festivals are also arranged along with meets for folk evenings and games nights, while the pub is a lively venue for the Andover Rocks charity music event.

The Andover Tap at the Lamb

Onwards and upwards
The pub now progresses in CAMRA's County competition with the final possible accolade being the top pub in the country!

MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS

Picture of Tim Abram courtesy Ben Tuffin

How do pubs get into the Good Beer Guide?

This is a regular question amongst beer drinkers and pub users – how does a pub make it into the Good Beer Guide, often called the 'Beer Drinkers Bible'? 

There is of course one very simple answer – serve the very best beer in the area, but how is that decided?

The Good Beer Guide, published by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is now in its 53rd edition, with entries being selected by local CAMRA members through an ongoing beer scoring assessment. This is carried out throughout the whole year. It is totally independent and unlike many other guides no venue can buy its way in.

Final selection meetings take place early in each year, using the thousands of scores submitted over the previous year from CAMRA's 140,000+ members.
So to gain entry ensure the pub's beer is in top notch condition.

To obtain the 2026 edition see:
CAMRA Shop

To take part in the Beer Scoring access the CAMRA website and search for a pub/location.
Note you need to be a CAMRA member to add a score.
See: Campaign for Real Ale

Local Pubs in the current edition are here:
https://thehappypint.blogspot.com/2025/09/2026-good-beer-guide-published.html

Andover pub wins 'Cider Pub of the Year 2025'

Congratulations are in order for the Andover Tap at the Lamb for having been voted as North Hampshire Cider Pub of the Year for 2025.

Applause rang out as the coveted award was made to publican Tim Abram on behalf of the local CAMRA group by long standing Andover CAMRA member Martin Bennett.

Anniversary
This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Campaign for Real Ale's commitment to supporting traditional cider within its campaigning activities. In 1975 real cider was first made available at CAMRA Beer Festivals and has remained a core part of the Campaign since.

Presentation to Tim Abram (R) by Martin Bennett (L)

(click picture to enlarge)

Traditional cider is rarely available in the north Hampshire area but the Andover Tap at the Lamb always has a wide selection on the bar to enjoy alongside its cask and craft beers.

Real Cider
Most ciders in pubs are poor imitations, created from essences, extracts and concentrates in large industrial factories then served up by the addition of gasses.
Real Cider should be fermented from the whole fruit of pressed apples, without the use of concentrates or chaptalised* juices. 

Real Cider is what can be found in the Tap; traditional, tasty, and extremely enjoyable.

The Andover Tap at the Lamb will now progress through further rounds of the National Cider Pub of the Year Competition.

* The word ‘chaptalised’ as used in the definition refers to a process where the alcohol level in a cider or perry is increased by the addition of sugar to an unnatural level for storage, before it is diluted with water to the desired alcohol content for sale.

Beer Festival returns to Andover

The joint beer festival by the Andover Tap at the Lamb and the local Campaign for Real Ale returns this year and will be held over the first weekend of April (Friday 4th – Sunday 6th April).

With around 20 cask and craft ales, along with a selection of traditional ciders, this friendly event caters for all. There will be traditional bitters, IPAs, porters, stouts as well as modern keg styles to enjoy over the three days. 

There will be a selection of food to purchase and music on Sunday afternoon.

Entry to the festival is free.

The festival opens on Friday April 4th April at 11.00am and runs through until early Sunday evening on the 6th.

The Andover Tap has also won the local Cider Pub of the Year Award for its selection of real traditionally produced ciders. A Presentation is to be made on the Saturday afternoon of this event.

Community funding under question

In an end of year announcement that has concerned many, the government has closed its Community Ownership Fund which had been made available to allow local people and groups to take on and save community facilities. The closure is despite there still being unallocated funds.
The funding was also available to town and parish councils.

The reason given – or excuse – is pressure on government finances caused by the previous government.

Support for community amenities removed

The scheme, which was to run until the end of 2025, was created to help local groups take on assets such as community halls, leisure facilities, shops, sports grounds, swimming pools, museums, arts centres and local pubs. 

Since its 2021 commencement, 409 projects have received over £140million.

This could have a devastating effect on those working hard to save our country's public houses as well as on groups wishing to take on other community facilities. 

Current efforts

Efforts are now underway by organisations including the Campaign for Real Ale to ensure that assistance remains in other tangible ways. 

This includes discussions with officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government over the current review of other support schemes. These include Assets of Community Value and the hoped for introduction of the Right to Buy to replace the current Right to Bid.

Shocking losses

The scale of long-term pub closures is shocking and the support for the struggling hospitality industry is abysmal. Communities are losing their centres of social interaction, economic benefits and local heritage on a daily basis. 
Here, Happy Pint urges all to lobby their Councils and MPs to support one of the most important cornerstones of our society – the British Pub.

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The Government statement (23rd December 2024)

The Community Ownership Fund is now closed. There will be no further application windows on the COF programme. We have taken this difficult decision due to the challenging inheritance left by the previous government.

Whilst we are closing the Community Ownership Fund, this government remains committed to the communities’ sector and community empowerment.

The government will deliver on its manifesto commitment to replace the community ‘Right to Bid’ with a strengthened ‘Right to Buy’ Assets of Community Value, creating a more robust pathway to community asset ownership. And we will seek to support high streets by strengthening Business Improvement Districts which have helped to improve town and city centres across the United Kingdom for 20 years, while ensuring they operate to high standards and are accountable to their communities. 

Details:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-ownership-fund-prospectus/community-ownership-fund-round-4-prospectus

 

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New Good Beer Guide sees local pubs included

The latest edition of the Good Beer Guide has been published this week and a number of local venues have been included.

The book, now in its 52nd edition, it is wholly independent and compiled by local members of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

The Guide, which contains 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinker’s guide for those seeking the best pints in the nation’s hostelries. 

Book pays tribute to communities
This 2025 edition has a choice of two covers, the Rovers Return Inn from Coronation Street, and the Woolpack from Emmerdale Farm.
CAMRA Says "This edition of the Guide pays tribute to the communities that are beamed into homes, providing entertainment and companionship to those that may not have a local pub of their own."

They add that research commissioned by CAMRA found that people who have a local, rate themselves as significantly happier because of it, and have more close friends.
The pubs on television reflect this feeling. 

Local entries
The local entries are selected by the North Hampshire group of CAMRA, using an ongoing quality Beer Scoring system, where members can register beer quality throughout the year. 

This is through the 'WhatPub' website of all pubs in the area (and UK) which can be accessed here:
https://whatpub.com/

To purchase the Good Beer Guide
The 2025 Good Beer Guide can be purchased online here:
https://camra.org.uk/publications/the-good-beer-guide-2025/

 

Whitchurch Club wins CAMRA Award.

The Whitchurch Sports and Social Club (WSSC) has been announced as the North Hampshire CAMRA Club of the Year for 2024 and was awarded their certificate last Saturday (1st June) when the organisation held its AGM at the club. 

The Social Club now joins other clubs selected in the Wessex area and will be independently judged over the next six weeks. These are in Corfe Castle, Portsmouth, Salisbury, and Cowes Isle of Wight with the Wessex winner reaching the final sixteen in the UK.

Below:
Local CAMRA Chairman Keith Sturton presents the Whitchurch Sports & Social Club with its Award.

Whitchurch Sports and Social Club is well known for one of the most comprehensive offering of amenities, and events programmes, bringing some of the 'Big Names' to the town holding regular concerts, dinner evenings and discos as well as private bookings. It takes great pride in the quality of its beers and regularly supports local independent breweries.
The premises are also the home of Whitchurch Utd Football Club and also house squash courts and both indoor and outdoor bowling facilities.

North Hampshire CAMRA has nearly 600 local members and selects its award winners by nominations and a detailed judging process that covers such topics as community focus, inclusivity and commitment to customer service. It also runs an online Beer Scoring scheme where members can record pub visits and beer quality which then feeds into its Awards as well as into the Good Beer Guide selection for the area.

It is is part of the national campaign of nearly 150,000 members and is currently planning a local Beer Festival in September in Basingstoke as well as organising a number of social events. It is also updating the online pub guide for the North Hampshire area and is campaigning where pubs are at serious risk of closure.

Below:
Whitchurch Sports & Social Club at Longmeadow, Whitchurch.
North Hampshire Club of the Year 2024

•

Handpump Hijack campaign launched

A warning that consumers may be confused by the use of handpumps for keg beer has been issued by Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

Handpumps mean Cask Conditioned Beer

The Carlsberg Marstons Brewing Company (CMBC) plans to serve keg beer through handpumps which beer drinkers widely understand as usually being exclusively used for cask conditioned beer.

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has asked for investigations into whether the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations have been breached.

Trading Standards contacted
The Campaign has written to National Trading Standards and Trading Standards Scotland asking for an investigation into the products, which use a cask handpump to serve the beer, which is kegged rather than cask conditioned.

The Handpump Hijack Campaign
This is the start of the ‘Handpump Hijack’ campaign to raise awareness of misleading beer dispense, and make sure that the handpump remains a signifier of cask-conditioned beer.

Gillian Hough, National Director and Chair of CAMRA’s Real Ale, Cider and Perry Campaigns Committee, said:

“CAMRA believes that these practices come under the scope of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, as the average consumer may choose to buy the product on the basis that they believe it to be cask conditioned beer, which in this case it is not.  

 

She also says:

Handpumps are uniquely British and are synonymous with cask beer and we believe that CMBC’s attempts to hijack the handpump to serve kegged beer will only lead to consumer confusion. The impact of this pernicious misleading dispense will affect the reputation and availability of cask conditioned beer in all pubs and social clubs. 

 

We would like National Trading Standards to urgently investigate whether CMBC’s Fresh Ale concept, sold via misleading use of cask handpumps thereby presenting as a version of cask beer, is confusing to customers. "

and

CAMRA firmly believes that the traditional British handpump should continue to be used exclusively to dispense cask-conditioned beer or their traditional cider and perry equivalents.