REAL ale drinkers across St Helens get to decide on which is the best club in the region.

The competition for the Club of the Year accolade, which currently sits with Haydock Reading Room, is starting earlier this year to allow members a longer period to visit the clubs and complete their scores.

Five local clubs have been shortlisted for St Helens CAMRA Club of the Year award 2024.

So, it’s now down to real ale drinkers to come out and vote for who they think deserves the accolade.

The St Helens CAMRA Club of the Year can be voted for by all CAMRA members registered with the branch and any club that sells real ale and meets the criteria set out by CAMRA nationally, can be included in the competition.

Ian Pye, Pubs Officer for St Helens and District CAMRA said: “The voting for Club of the Year is open to all St Helens and District CAMRA members and I’d encourage anyone who is a member to get out there and vote.

“We’ve tried to make it easier this year by bringing forward the judging for clubs to allow members more time to get around and visit them all.

“The only way a club can win this award is if people take part in the final scoring for Club of the Year visiting and scoring each one on the shortlist.”

Members can help select the 2024 Club of the Year by scoring each club and submitting their completed form by March 13 2024. The scoring forms are available to download online.

All venues need to be scored to make them eligible for consideration for Club of the Year.

Once all venues have been visited and scored for the competition, people can return forms via email (poty@sthelens.camra.org.uk) no later than March 12 or hand in in person at the committee meeting on March 13 (venue TBC)

The clubs in the shortlist for the 2024 branch Club of the Year competition are:

• Haydock Reading Room

• Prescot Reform Club

• Rainford Labour Club

• Rainhill Recreation Club

• West Park Rugby Football Club.

Members are now able to help select the 2024 Club of the Year by scoring each club and submitting their completed form by 13 March 2024.

CAMRA are starting the competition earlier this time to allow members a longer period to visit the clubs and complete their scores.

How it works:

CAMRA members are asked to visit each club on the shortlist and score it out of 10 for eight areas:

• quality and condition of real ale

• Promotion and knowledge of real ale

• Cleanliness and staff hygiene

• Service and welcome

• Style, décor and atmosphere

• Community focus

• Sympathy with CAMRA’s aims

• Overall impression and value

The quality of ale score is weighted so that it counts as ‘double’.

These are then all counted and compiled to decide the Club of the Year for St Helens and Districts CAMRA area.

This is also the first step in the shortlisting process that ultimately leads to CAMRA National Club of the Year selection.