These cards are intended to assist local CAMRA branches to keep up to date and informed about the beer quality in the outlets in their area.

This is particularly important for a branch like Glasgow & West of Scotland, which covers an enormous area from Glencoe in the north down the Kintyre Peninsula to Campbeltown, the Cowal and Rosneath Peninsulas, several islands and all the way to south Lanarkshire. We are always grateful to any members who report their findings when visiting outlets in our more remote areas, since with our best efforts, we can usually only visit them a few times a year.

The NBSS cards are available from CAMRA HQ or can now be downloaded from the CAMRA website. They may be filled in by both members of the branch area and by members visiting a branch area and include details such as name of surveyor, membership No., date of survey, pub, location, county, beer tasted and score from 0 - 5. A 0 score being undrinkable and 5 excellent.

Cards completed by members of the local branch can be sent to that branch or handed in to the pubs officer at meetings. Similarly, if a visitor to an area knows the branch which the pubs are in, they can attend the local branch meetings and hand them in direct or send/give them to a branch member. This short-circuits the 'official'' tortuous route of sending them to CAMRA HQ, who send them to the appropriate Regional Directors who finally pass them to the respective branches. However if visiting members find sending to HQ more convenient, then that too is fine. The important thing is that cards are sent in so branches have information as up to date as possible.

The Glasgow branch is also pleased to receive e-mails/letters/phone calls, from visitors describing their experiences of outlets in more detail than possible through the cards. We thank all those members who have done so and look forwards to hearing from members in the future.

Robin Jones (Pubs Officer, Glasgow CAMRA)