The area currently covered by the North Notts Branch was originally part of the Doncaster and Nottingham Branches. In 1981 a number of Retford members tested the water with a public meeting at The Turks Head, the subsequent interest convinced St. Albans of the viability of a branch based upon Retford, Worksop and the surrounding areas. The Doncaster Branch set us on our way with a £100 loan, and we've yet to repay that by the way.
The branch's boundaries consist, in the south, of a line roughly below Sutton on Trent in the east, and Nether Langwith in the west, and all of Nottinghamshire to the north.
In the early days meetings were packed and lively. Committee meetings were on the last Wednesday of the month, the Branch meetings the following week. In 1981 The Canal Society asked us to provide a beer tent for an event in Kings Park; we made £200, a fortune for us in those days. This was our first festival.
In 1992 we were offered the opportunity to be involved in a real Beer Festival with the Dukeries Complex in Ollerton. This was of real benefit to the branch and we enjoyed a successful relationship for seven years. In 1996 Bassetlaw District Council, aware of the success that Newark Council had enjoyed approached us with a view to a similar relationship, and four Beer Festivals followed at the Retford Leisure Centre. However during this time the branch's active membership had reached a low point with no more than a dozen members being involved in the social and campaigning aspects of CAMRA.
2002 saw the Branch organise its 1st Beer Festival without any outside assistance and following on from that success we are now organising our 9th Festival. With this the Branch has experienced a resurgence in membership, which now stands at 187. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at Pubs throughout the area and see attendances of 15 - 30.
Last Updated: 12:28 - 01/06/2008