CAMRA national chairman Colin Valentine to step down

04-Dec-2017 - Last updated on 05-Dec-2017 at 09:09 GMT

New face at the top: Jackie Parker (right) will replace Colin Valentine (left)

The Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) national chairman Colin Valentine will step down next year and will hand the reins to current vice-chairman Jackie Parker.

After eight years in the role, Valentine announced he will not be standing for re-election at CAMRA’s members’ weekend AGM and conference, which will take place in Coventry in April 2018. He will continue in the chairman’s role until the April meeting.

Parker is currently CAMRA’s vice-chairman and was elected by her colleagues at the national executive meeting on 1 December.

Valentine has been a CAMRA member for more than 30 years and served as director for Scotland and Northern Ireland for six years before being elected to the national executive, the organisation’s board of directors, in 2000. He became chairman in 2010.

Valentine said: “By April, we will have concluded the Revitalisation Project, the largest consultation into and review of CAMRA’s purpose we have ever conducted."

Implementation of changes

He added: “Hopefully members will vote to approve the national executive’s recommendations, which would be the perfect time for me to step down and let Parker lead the implementation of the changes.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to represent CAMRA as its chairman over the past eight years – I hope fellow members feel I have made a positive contribution and I am delighted Parker will be taking on the role.

“I am confident she is exactly the right choice to lead CAMRA as we seek to take full advantage of the opportunities Revitalisation offers us.

“I would like to make it clear that while I will be stepping down as chairman, I am certainly not retiring and will be continuing to involve myself in CAMRA campaigns, activities and festivals with the same passion and dedication I devoted to the chairman role.”

Parker has been an active member of CAMRA for 18 years and has been a member of the national executive for seven years, having previously served as the regional director for CAMRA’s central southern region for three years.

Key point in history

She is currently CAMRA’s national vice-chairman and national director with specific responsibility for communications.

She said: “I am delighted to have won the support of my fellow directors and the confidence they have shown in choosing me to lead CAMRA.

“We are at a key point in CAMRA’s history as we prepare to ask our members to approve the recommendations we are making as a result of the Revitalisation Project.

“I am excited about the opportunity for my fellow directors and I to lead CAMRA into the future and ensure that the next important step of the Revitalisation Project – implementation of the recommendations into the campaign’s future positioning and purpose, strategy and activities – goes smoothly.

“My vision for CAMRA is to ensure we remain as relevant to our active volunteers, our members, possible new members and those people visiting pubs and clubs as possible, and we continue to achieve our goals of campaigning for real ale, cider and perry drinkers across the UK.”