CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE, DENGIE BRANCH
PRESS RELEASE – MARCH 2010
COMMUNITY PUB OF THE YEAR AWARD
THE NORTON, COLD NORTON 


The Dengie branch of CAMRA is delighted to announce that we will be presenting an award to the Norton, Cold Norton as Community Pub of the Year 2009-10.  The award will be presented at the Maldon Beer Festival, which opens on Wednesday 7 April and continues until Saturday, 10 April. 

The story of the Norton is a remarkable one.  In 2007 it was threatened with closure, when planning applications were made to demolish the building and build a residential development in its place. 

The local community, however, had other ideas and after a vigorous campaign to oppose the planning proposals, supported by a letter from CAMRA, the village Committee were able to interest a TV production company in filming their activities in taking over the pub. 

The pub was reopened in 2009 after having been closed for business for 2 years, and the film about these events was screened on UKTV Blighty in 2009.

With tremendous support from the villagers and the wider local community, the pub is now fully operational, having just reopened its restaurant.  It is still run on a voluntary basis by the local Committee, who have put a huge amount of time and effort into saving this local amenity on behalf of the village.

The Committee have made a point of serving beer from local breweries and they serve a very good pint of real ale.

Dengie CAMRA are very lucky in that we are based in a stronghold of real ale and good pubs, but the story of the Norton is an exceptional example of a village pub, which could have been lost forever, being saved by the local community for itself and on an entirely voluntary basis.   The Norton is a credit to the area, and well worth a visit! 

The Norton is open at the following times:

Its location is: The Norton Community Pub
54 Latchingdon Road,
Cold Norton,
Essex,
CM3 6JB.Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Maldon Beer Festival opens in the Town Hall, top of Market  Hill, Maldon  on Wednesday, 7 April from 4 pm to 11 pm and continues from Thursday 8 April to Saturday 10 April 2010 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.   We plan to present the Norton with the certificate on the first night of the Festival.