Thwaites employee Mike Porter certainly has a keen eye for a good pub - and he's got £2,000 to prove it!

Mike, who works as free trade district sales manager for the brewery, took advantage of a company incentive aimed at further developing its pub estate.

Under the scheme, £2,000 goes to a manager who actively identifies a pub for purchase - and when Mike set his sights on the Church Inn, in the Pennine village of Mossley, near Manchester, he came up trumps.

"The Church Inn is a cracking little pub and fits in well with Thwaites' portfolio of houses," said Mike, who has worked at the Blackburn-based brewers for over six years.

Music, pints and wheeled wonders

MOTOR enthusiasts will be able to enjoy live music and a pint as well bikes, cars and trucks when the Judge Walmesley, Billington, holds its annual Transport Show on Sunday, August 29.

The show, now in its fourth year, enables enthusiasts to take their vehicle along for others to see.

Licensee of the Judge Walmesley, Paul Cryer, said: "We have a huge car park here and want to make use of it and that's why we started the event. In the past we have had everything from motorbikes to cars to big monster trucks with massive wheels. It doesn't matter what it is we just want people to bring it along."

Local band Freebird are also playing at the event. For more information ring Paul on 01254 822924.

CAMRA plea to 'offies'

CONSUMER group CAMRA is launching a new campaign for real ale in a bottle after hitting out at "cheap, low quality beer in the off-licence trade." On the eve the Great British Beer Festival in London, The Campaign for Real Ale is calling on supermarkets and off-licences to create a new drinks category for real ale.

CAMRA is claiming the "stack 'em high, sell 'em cheap" promotions on canned lagers in the off-trade is devaluing a great British product as well as fuelling irresponsible drinking.

Meanwhile, British drinkers are losing their taste for alcopops, according to a report published today.

And according to the study, by market analysts Datamonitor, it predicts sales will eventually start to fall and that by 2008 they will have dropped by 23 per cent to £1.1billion.