Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Hull & East Yorkshire Branch NEWS RELEASE

Experienced Teetotaler is Chosen for Seasonal Award

Issued 21st March 2006

Margaret Clarke, licensee of the ‘King William IV’ in Cottingham has been chosen to receive the ‘Pub Mirror Award – Spring 2006’ for “Continuing Commitment to Quality Real Ale”.

The seasonal awards are currently being used to recognise those licensees in the Hull and East Yorkshire area who have demonstrated a "Continuing Commitment to Quality Real Ale" at a time when they are under great pressure to remove distinctive, tasty real ale and replace it with ‘easily kept’ heavily advertised, bland tasting nitro-keg beers. The award therefore, also acknowledges those licensees who practise the specialised art of cellermanship. This is because real ale requires expertise to prepare and maintain it in good condition whereas nitro-keg beer only requires connecting to a mixed-gas cylinder before selling.

Margaret, a teetotaller, took on the Wolverhampton & Dudley owned pub in May 2003. She has been in the trade for 15 years with spells as licensee of The Fordyke on Bransholme and the Ship Inn at Sutton. She learnt her trade at the front-line of the latter, having been a barmaid before becoming the assistant manager. She also had a spell at the original Hull Brewery, working in the canning department.

Margaret prides herself in being one of the few single, lady licensees in the business. One of her biggest achievements was getting guest beers up and running in the King Billy and proving to herself that she could do it. Her aim is to give locals in Cottingham a better selection of real ales because she recognised that there was a significant lack of choice for the discerning drinker amongst the pubs in the village.

The choice of real ales available at the pub is normally Riding Bitter, Marston’s Pedigree, one of the brewery’s seasonal beers and a guest beer. However, from the 24th – 26th March Margaret is holding a mini beer festival with an increased selection of guest beers.

The award will be presented to Margaret by CAMRA Branch Chairman, Alan Canvess on Saturday 25th March 2006 at 7.30 pm. A large gathering of the pub’s regular customers and CAMRA members are expected to attend the presentation. Amongst them will be active member Carey Vessey who nominated Margaret for the award, stating “She really deserves the award for maintaining a good range of beers in very good condition”.