CAMRA jargon-buster

Acronyms/jargon used in the regional minutes and so forth

You can also download the Jargon Buster document

AO Area Organiser

An RD can appoint AO's as 'deputies' to liaise with branches in a given area – often a county. This happens when a region is too big for an RD to be able to get branch mtgs etc. There are currently sfive AOs in the WM region covering Birmingham & The Black Country, Staffordshire, The Marches (Shropshire & Herefordshire), Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Apple

Apple. A body within CAMRA which looks after the interests of orchard products (eg cider)

BIS Brewery Information System

CAMRA's internal database on UK breweries and their beers. The database is the source for the brewery section in the Good Beer Guide

BLAG Brewery Liaison Advisory Group

The group comprising all BLCs

BLC Brewery Liaison Coordinator

Each CAMRA region has a BLC who is appointed by the NE. The BLC coordinates the activities of the BLOs who report to him/her

BLO Brewery Liaison Officer

A BLO works with a brewery to promote their cause and to act as a conduit between the brewery and CAMRA. BLOs can only be appointed or dismissed by the BLC. Normally; a branch will offer a BLO candidate when there's a vacancy in one of 'their' breweries and the BLC will rubber-stamp this. A BLO can only be removed by their resignation, at the request of the brewery or by the BLC (ie a branch cannot unilaterally remove their BLOs)

Branches Committee

A powerful national committee comprising all sixteen RDs

CAMRAWM

A yahoo discussion group for discussing all things CAMRA for members in the West Midlands (WM) region. Notification of regional meetings/events are via CAMRAWM. To subscribe to the group contact ku.gro.armac.sdnaldimtsew@nimdApuorG

CBoB Champion Beer of Britain

CAMRA's competition to find …. The WM region also run a similar competition to find the WM champion beers

COBAS CAMRA Online Branch Accounting System

An online package designed to make branch treasurers jobs easier than traditional spreadsheets. It is rolling out in the WM region early in 2017 and nationally later in the year

CotY Club of the Year

See PotY for details

EPD External Policy Document

The companion to the IPD and defines how CAMRA and its members interact with the outside world.

GBBF

Great British Beer Festival.

GBBF-W

See NWAF

GBG

Good Beer Guide. Often followed by the year eg GBG17 – the GBG for 2017

IPD Internal Policy Document

The IPD defines how we CAMRA members and branches interact with each other. It is a document that has been created by the membership and is constantly evolving, changes are proposed and voted on at every National Members' Weekend. It is mostly a guideline rather than a set of rules. Where there are rules they are either required by law (eg non-discrimination, fiscal propriety), or required by the membership, a good example being the branch model constitution

Members' weekend

A get-together open to all CAMRA members; comprising the national AGM and debates on motions to add, change or remove CAMRA policy. Elections to the NE take place at the members' weekend

NE National Executive

The twelve volunteer members who run CAMRA. They stand for re-election every three years, usually two or three in any given year. NE members are elected by those present at the National Members Weekend

NERDs or NE/RDs

The collective noun for the NE and the RDs

NERDS weekend

A quarterly get together of the NE and the RDs to discuss national and regional strategy

NWAF

National Winter Ales Festival. Now clumsily called Great British Beer Festival - Winter or GBBF-W

PotY Pub of the Year

Every branch elects or should elect, a PotY. These PotYs can then go ahead into a county round with all the other winners in that county for judging. The winner is awarded the “county PotY” and goes forward into the regional round against all the other county winners in the region. The winner is the regional champion and then goes forward into the national competition against all the other regional winners (16 of). The same competition runs to find the Club of the Year (CotY). County round PotYs are judged by members of the branches in the county, though a judge is barred from judging their own branch winner. Regional candidates are judged by members from the region. National finalists are judged by NERDs

QFI Quarterly Finance Information

A short snapshot of branch finances that are required to be sent to the RFO each quarter

RCC

Regional Cider Coordinator. Regional role to look after the interests of orchard products

RD Regional Director

The RD is responsible for running their region. They are elected at a regional AGM for a period of office of either one or three years. The RD reports to the NE and is automatically a member of the branches committee

RFO Regional Finance Officer

Each CAMRA region has, or should have, one or more RFOs responsible for managing the finances of the region

Region

CAMRA comprises a set of regions, 16 in total, covering the UK. Each region is managed by an RD and comprises a set of branches which run their local area. Our region is called West Midlands and comprises 26 branches in six counties – Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and West Midlands unitary authority

RM / Regional Meeting

A meeting regularly convened and chaired by the RD . All CAMRA members are welcome to attend. Regional Officers are expected to attend. The RM comprises reports and other items of general interest across the region.

SPG Strategic Policy Group

A group that may be set up by the RD to discuss – errr – strategic policy. Membership is by invitation of the RD but usually includes the regional officers

WM West Midlands

As in CAMRA WM – our region; comprising Staffordshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Note that the West Midlands metropolitan county is part of the West Midlands CAMRA region