IN MEMORY
  Eleanor Cairns joined the branch in 1989 and at the next election became the first Social Organiser. Eleanor worked hard with the new Membership Secretary to increase membership of the branch. She wrote articles for the blossoming branch Newsletter and worked tirelessly beside the Chairman to push through much needed and long overdue reforms to the branch. Eleanor Cairns - ex CAMRA Secretary  
  By 1992 she was the branch Secretary and held the idea that the Chairman & Secretary should attend the Great British Beer Festivals (at that time held at the Docklands Arena). From this idea came the close contacts with CAMRA HQ and the National Executive.

It was with these first meetings that she, in her own inimitable style, compelled the National Exec to visit the branch with the thoughts of running the first branch Beer Festival. Late 1993 saw her and the Chairman attend the Northern Branches Conference to enlist support for the Belfast Beer Festival. She also took a keen interest in all aspects of Committee work, not only her own branch, but other positions such as publicity, heritage, products, beer orders etc. By now she could have done any job in the branch.

All this effort culminated in seven of the highest people from CAMRA HQ arriving in Belfast in October 1993. A tour of pubs & premises was organised and, with much persuasion (subtle & not so subtle), she had a tentative go-ahead for the Festival. A visit to Wigan Beer Festival taught her and some branch members very necessary experiences and Eleanor learned how to set up a Festival budget spreadsheet.

All this culminated in the first CAMRA Beer Festival in September 1995, attended by CAMRA Chairman, John Cryne, and the GBBF Festival Organiser, Christine Cryne, along with some other famous names from HQ and several notables from UK breweries. This was an unheard of major coup for the branch (indeed, any branch!) and only came about because of the hard and unstinting work done by Eleanor and the trust and respect she generated at HQ. The first Festival became famous around the world for running out of beer on the closing day and Eleanor got her picture in What's brewing.

Eleanor will be sorely missed by everyone in the branch.

We will not see her like again.

Mark Hutchinson
Branch Chairman 1989-1997 		  
 

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