Pubs in the area will find out if they have won a Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) award at the Booze on the Ouse beer festival which opens in St Neots this week.

Organisers of the Huntingdonshire branch of CAMRA have announced the nominations of their annual pub awards and will present six category winners, plus the overall Pub of the Year award to the winning licensees, during the trade preview session of the festival at 4pm on Thursday, March 12.

CAMRA spokesman Paul Moorhouse explained: “CAMRA gives these annual awards to draw attention to pubs and clubs that operate in ways that CAMRA would wish to encourage - such as providing well-presented ranges of real ales of varied styles, high quality draught ciders, premises with atmosphere and style, good service and welcome, a good community focus and good value.”

The category nominations are as follows:

Rural Pub of the Year

* Addison Arms, Glatton

* Chequers, Little Gransden

* White Horse, Tilbrook

Urban Pub of the Year

* Hog & Partridge, St Neots

* King of the Belgians, Hartford

* Royal Oak, St Ives

Most Improved Rural Pub of the Year

* Eight Bells, Abbotsley

* Three Horseshoes, Houghton

* White Swan, Bluntisham

Most Improved Urban Pub of the Year

* Falcon, Huntingdon

* Old Sun, Eaton Socon

Cider Pub of the Year

* Chequers, Little Gransden

* Falcon, Huntingdon

* Pig ‘n’ Falcon, St Neots

Club of the Year

* Comrades Club, Godmanchester

* St Neots Rugby Club, St Neots

* Yelling Social Club, Yelling

The Booze on the Ouse festival, at the Priory Centre in St Neots, runs from March 12-14 and will be open from 5pm to 11pm on Thursday, midday till 11pm on Friday and midday till 10pm on Saturday. There will be about 70 real ales, locally brewed real ales, draught milds, bitters, golden ales, stouts, porters, lagers, wheat beers, vegan beers and speciality beers and Cromwell Cider from Hemingford Grey.

INFORMATION: www.hunts.camra.org.uk