The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has awarded Orkney brewery in Quoyloo with a Golden Award to mark 50 years of the organisation’s campaigns.   

As part of its anniversary celebrations throughout 2021, CAMRA is recognising people, groups of people or businesses that have made a significant contribution to CAMRA’s aims. A long-standing and prolific CAMRA award-winning brewer, Orkney brewery was selected for going above and beyond in delivering excellence over the years. 

“We’re absolutely delighted to receive a CAMRA Golden Award," a spokesperson for Orkney brewery said. "The brewery has been producing high-quality cask ale for over 30 years and is still at the forefront of the cask ale scene. 

“Our beers such as Dark Island, Red MacGregor, Northern Light, Raven Ale and Skull Splitter have won a multitude of CAMRA awards over the years. We are a great advocate for high-quality cask ale to continually be a presence on as many bars throughout the UK as possible.”

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Orkney is one of 18 breweries and cider makers from throughouit the UK to receive the Golden Award. Gary Timmins, awards director at CAMRA, said he was "delighted to be honouring these businesses".   

“This anniversary comes on the heels of an incredibly difficult time for the industry after a year of lockdowns and restrictions," he added.

"I hope the teams behind the winning breweries and cider makers will take this award as appreciation for all the hard work involved in producing great drinks over the decades. Nominations were submitted by our members and consumers, which says a lot about the support and impact they have had over the last 50 years.”  

The Golden Awards are celebrating recipients in three different categories: "Pubs", "Pints" and "People". The "Pub" winners were announced in July, and those in the "People" categorywill be announced later in the year. 

All Sainsbury's stores to remain closed on Boxing Day

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Supermarket group J Sainsbury has announced it will keep all of its stores closed on Boxing Day this year.

It declared it "is the first grocer to announce it is keeping all of its supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol filling stations shut on Sunday 26th December", with its chief executive declaring it was by doing so saying a "massive thank you" to staff.

The supermarket group added that all of its Argos and Habitat stores would also stay closed on Boxing Day.

Tesco joins the refillable revolution

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The UK's biggest supermarket group has launched a trial that allows customers to buy food, drink, household and beauty products in reusable packaging as part of its strategy to cut plastic waste.

Tesco has partnered with global reusable packaging platform Loop to give customers in 10 stores in eastern England the opportunity to buy products in reusable packaging that can be returned to stores when finished so it can be cleaned, refilled and used again. A range of 88 products will be offered, including brands such as Unilever’s Persil laundry detergent and Radox shower gel, PZ Cussons’ Carex handwash, Fevertree drinks, Heinz ketchup, Coca Cola, Tetley Tea and Brewdog beer, as well as 35 Tesco own-brand essentials, such as pasta, rice, sugar and oil.

In June, Asda, Britain's third-biggest grocer, extended its trial of a refill scheme after sales of several products in an initial pilot store outsold packaged alternatives. Marks & Spencers, Morrisons and Waitrose have also been trailing reusable packaging concepts.

Tesco said it will add more products to its scheme throughout the year and the trial would be scaled-up if it proved successful.

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