Young Members Section

CAMRA, the CAMpaign for Real Ale, is extremely proud of its hugely diverse membership. Around 90,000 individuals of all ages, backgrounds and both sexes enjoy their CAMRA membership. With over 6% of the national membership being aged between 18 - 30 years old, it was felt that a section of this website should be dedicated to show the activities of this thriving group of Young CAMRA Members. 

This page is here to help you find out more about CAMRA's Young Members. You’ll be find out how you can get in touch with your local Young Members' Contact (BYMC), what social events Young Members will be attending and how you can get involved. Click here for National and East Midlands Regional Young Members' Group events.

What is the Young Members Task Group (YMG) and what do they do?

CAMRA set up a Young Members Group (YMG) in 2000 to promote and encourage the drinking of Real Ale among young people (the 18 - 30 age group) by encouraging Young Members and young non-members to join in with the numerous social activities that are organised nationwide, as well as encouraging and supporting Young Members who want to get more involved with CAMRA locally, regionally and nationally.

The YMG has a Committee that is made up of 7 younger members who meet four times a year at venues all over the UK to discuss matters that affect Young CAMRA Members. YMG Committee Meetings are taken seriously by CAMRA because visiting Young Members are actively encouraged to add their voice to the meetings. After the Committee Meetings we always have a pub-crawl of the town/city, which are led by local Young Members, because it’s not all work, work, work!  

Contact details of the YMGC members can be downloaded from the Young Members Section of the CAMRA website by following the link to the 'Young Members' Group Contacts' page.

Have you ever thought of joining CAMRA?

If the answer is 'no', then why not?

Do you think it's boring and made up of old men with beards and beer-bellies who wear bobble hats, anoraks, woolly jumpers, shorts and sandals?

If this is your view, challenge your preconceptions by taking a look at the photos above, of young people from all over the UK enjoying CAMRA trips and events.

Previous events that Young Members have been involved with include: working at Glastonbury Festival, staffing at the National Winter Ales Festival and other Beer Festivals around the UK, trips to numerous breweries, and staggering around countless pub-crawls.

So why not become a more active part of CAMRA? It is rewarding, fun and will, no doubt at some point, involve having a few pints. What could be better?

How much does it cost to join CAMRA?

For all young people under 26 years old, the full UK membership rate of £20 (£25 joint) per annum, is reduced to £13 (£16 joint), reflecting CAMRA's commitment and determination to attract younger members. If you pay by Direct Debit, you'll get £2 discount off the normal rates. Further discounted rates are available if you're a member of a University or College Real Ale Society that takes advantage of Affiliated Membership.

Affiliated Membership

Affiliated Membership is open to University and College Real Ale Societies. Full details about Affiliated Membership and Affiliated Membership rates are available from Tony Jerome (details below).

Do you want to set up a Real Ale Society?

We can give advice on how to approach the powers that be in your University or College in order to set up a Real Ale Society.

Does your Student Union Bar serve Real Ale?

CAMRA can help by providing information about 'Real Ale in a Bottle' and breweries that can supply small casks of Real Ales, as well as providing help, information and advice on other issues.  Your local CAMRA Branch Members will be able to suggest good Real Ale pubs in your area.

Are you part of a Real Ale Society at University or College?

Affiliated CAMRA Membership could be what your University or College Real Ale Society is looking for and will really benefit your society members. Ask Tony Jerome about affiliation and he will tell you about the merits and incentives that this new scheme has to offer!

How can I get involved?

There is a CAMRA Young Members' Google Group. The Google Group was set up as a discussion group so that CAMRA Young Members can air their views about subjects related to their membership, including Young Members social events and CAMRA policy, as well as talking about pubs, breweries and beery news. Just e-mail Gus Manning (the Chairman of the YMGC) at gusintheymgcpub@yahoo.co.uk to request to join.

The whole of the UK is covered by local Branches of CAMRA, who are in the process of finding local volunteers to become a Branch BYMC This person works alongside the local Branch Membership Secretary and Social Secretary and is responsible for organising trips and events for Young Members in the local Branch area.

In Leicester CAMRA, our BYMC position is currently vacant. If you are a young member and would like to volunteer, please contact our Branch Chairman, Keith Williams on 0116 253 1604 (h) or e-mail: keithedmundwilliams@yahoo.co.uk.

In addition to BYMCs; the East Midlands, Greater London, the South West, the West Midlands, South & Mid Wales, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Central Southern Regions also have Regional Young Persons' Membership Co-ordinators (RYPMCs) who liaise with the BYMCs, Branch Committees, Regional Directors and the YMGC. The regional contacts invite all Young Members in those regions to larger social events as well as keeping an eye out for potential BYMCs.

Young Members Events

Click here to visit the Young Members section of the National CAMRA website.
The Young Members Events Diary can be found here.