The Campaign for Real Ale - popularly known as CAMRA - was founded in 1971 as a consumer movement to protect Britain's brewing heritage. At the time, brewery takeovers and closures were commonplace and traditional British beer was on its way out. As the giant breweries were closing down small producers across the country, choice was diminishing and, in place of beers brewed for local palates, nationally advertised keg beers were finding their way on to the bar.

Unlike traditional beer (or real ale, as CAMRA christened it), keg beer is a dead product. It does not continue to mature in the keg because it has been filtered and pasteurised to remove all life-giving yeast. It even needs to be pumped full of gas to send it to the bar and give it some fizz. Real ale is drawn into the glass by simple methods which don't require extra gas. The handpump is the most common form of dispense, but electric pumps are also used, or beer can simply be tapped from the cask itself.

Continuous fermentation, or cask conditioning of real ale, creates its own effervescence as well as a good, fresh taste. Producing real ale takes skill and craftsmanship, which is reflected in the products of many of our local traditional breweries. Looking after real ale in a pub cellar is an equally important skill - otherwise, the fine beer that leaves the brewery gate can be an insipid disappointment when it arrives in your glass.

CAMRA has been extremely successful in its fight against keg and also against British "lagers", which are a pale imitation of their European counterparts. (Bottles of Stella Artois proudly proclaim their birthplace as "LEUVEN" - in Belgium - on the front label. But the truth is hidden on the back label which disappointingly says "Luton" - in Bedfordshire.) Our greatest achievement is to spread the word about classic beers and new beers, friendly pubs, historic pubs. And not just ye olde worlde traditional inns and taverns either. We also celebrate the modern wave of café-bars and bistros that offer real choice and innovative beers - like the splendid organic beers and popular modern bars run by Marble Brewery. To keep on spreading the word, CAMRA needs new members. If you enjoy beer and you want others to enjoy it too - join us!

There are several active CAMRA branches in Greater Manchester. Trafford & Hulme branch was formed back in October 1977. It covers the whole of the Borough of Trafford - that's places like Altrincham, Sale, Stretford and Urmston - plus Hulme in Manchester (west of Princess Road) and some bits of north east Cheshire. Early on in its history the Branch also took on responsibility for part of Manchester city centre - roughly the area bounded by the Irwell, Blackfriars, Market Street, Mosley Street and Oxford Street. That includes such vibrant areas as Peter Street, Deansgate Locks and Castlefield where many new pubs and bars have opened up in recent years.

The Branch is one of the Campaign's biggest branches with over 500 members. We have regular monthly meetings on the first Thursday of the month plus a varied programme of social events (basically variations on a theme of pub crawling). Please see Branch Diary for a full list of all our forthcoming events.