The year has seen us celebrate our 50th anniversary and the loss of one our stalwarts. They are forever linked.

When it came to finding a venue for our 50th, we will always be indebted to Bill Feaver for suggesting and then organising the event at the White Hart in Harlington. It was with considerable shock to find out soon afterwards he was in Ealing Hospital. His passing in March has robbed the Branch of one of its most colourful characters. He will be much missed by everyone who knew him for his warmth and good humour, especially all those he worked with over numerous Ealing and other festivals including GBBF, Twickenham and Kingston.

The anniversary event was probably jointly our best attended social during the year along with the Christmas Party with around 40 being at both. Attendances at other events has been mixed. Those than combine with beer festivals, whether they be Wetherspoons or Questors, tend to bring in the higher numbers.

I would like to single out the Red Lion & Pineapple in Acton. Following a refurbishment in November, the increase in the number of handpumps has resulted in 12 beers being available most of the time. This has been done by purchasing pins from local breweries rather than relying on the main East-West Ales list. A wider selection can only be a good thing in offering choice to consumers. I hope the Branch is able to persuade more pubs to adopt pins in the future.

The number of Branch members was 1531 on 5 May. During the past 12 months 144 members have joined whilst 153 have lapsed.

Sadly the Branch withstood a deficit following the 2024 Ealing Beer Festival – our second in a row. Hopefully procedures are now in place to help mitigate this happening again. We were also fined by the HMRC due to a misunderstanding with the VAT return. This again has been addressed.

There are currently 119 pubs recorded as selling real ale in the Branch, probably the lowest number since the 1970s. It is likely this number is over optimistic as there are a number where it is known that real ale is not always available. The closures recorded during the year include the Beefeaters in Hayes Town, Uxbridge and the Grapes. The intention is to convert them to additional Premier Inn rooms. The Sync (ex Starling) in Pinner the freehold is now on the market, Harrow Sports Bar was closed by the council for allegedly not having a license and the Castano Lounge in Ealing probably closed when the lease expired. The Beerkat in Ealing will be much missed by the craft beer community.

I’d like to thank all those who have served on the West Middesex Branch committee over the last 18 years along with those who have worked at EBF, attended socials, submitted beer scores and pub updates. Your support has been greatly appreciated. Roy Tunstall