Matt Walker

Personal Introduction

I grew up and lived in Fleetwood until 2013 when i move a little south down the coast to Blackpool. I became a CAMRA member in 2008 just in time for my 18th Birthday and the 26th Fleetwood Beer Festival.

What inspired you to join the branch committee, and what are you most looking forward to achieving in your role?

When i joined the Branch i was the youngest member (by quite a bit) and was asked by the then Chairman Ian Ward if i would be interested in becoming the branches Young Members Coordinator. I decided to give it a go and have held the position since 2009. At this time, and still to this day, CAMRA tends to have a stereotype of "old men in flat caps drinking mild" This gave me the opportunity to try and promote CAMRA to younger people. In 2019 I took on an additional role as Social Media Coordinator and set up a series of profiles and pages under the current committee’s control to promote the branch.

Can you share a bit about your background and experience with Real Ale, Cider, or Perry?

I have been around CAMRA and this branch most of my life. My parents were active members of the branch and the Fleetwood Beer Festival. I can't recall my first time going to the Fleetwood Beer Festival but i do remember the Saturday afternoon "Family Sessions" in the Cafe Bar with Clive the Clown.

In 2011 I began pushing an idea i had to have a "Young Members Bar" at the Fleetwood Beer Festival. The aim was to have the Young Members of the Branch select the beers that would be sold on it and to almost act as an introduction to Real Ale. There was still an opinion amongst younger people that all cask ale tasted the same and i was set on proving this wrong. In 2012, at the 30th Fleetwood Beer Festival the Young Members bar was introduced. (I am told that this was the first of its kind at a CAMRA Festival)

Over the years this bar gained the nickname "The Fruit and Veg Stall" by a number of committee members due to the variety of beers we had.

What do you see as the biggest opportunities or challenges facing the branch in the coming year, and how do you plan to address them?

One of the biggest challenges we face not only as a branch, but as an organisation, is our aging membership base. When i first joined CAMRA the branch had a fairly large active group of members who frequently attended meetings, went on social trips and volunteered on the committee. Over the years this number has dwindled to a point where recently we have struggled to fill committee positions. We need to look at what we can do to activate our existing membership base and what we can so to engage with younger audiences.

Outside of your involvement with CAMRA, what are some of your interests or hobbies?

I have a young family so most of my time away from work and CAMRA is spent with them. When i do find some spare time to myself i enjoy playing video games and printing and painting my own 3D models.

If you could raise a pint with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

There are a lot of former branch members who are sadly no longer with us that gave me the support and encouragement to join the committee and be an active member of CAMRA. I would love to be able to share a pint with them and thank them one last time.