TEN local pubs have been voted the pick of the pints in the new edition of the Good Beer Guide.

The beer-drinkers bible, now in its 25th year, is published by Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale, and picks the best pubs for a pint throughout the land.

In the silver jubilee edition, ten pubs in the borough have been hand-picked by members of the Rochdale, Oldham and Bury branch of the campaign group.

Only the pubs offering the best in beer are picked for the Guide, with independent local brewers often getting the nod over the big, national "beer manufacturers". The main breweries represented among the local selections are Holt's, brewed in Cheetham; Lees, brewed in Middleton; and Moorhouses, brewed in Burnley.

The pubs featured are:

Bury area: Blue Bell, Manchester Road, Sunnybank (Holt's); Bridge Inn, Blackford Bridge (Courage); Old Blue Bell, Bell Lane (Holt's); Dusty Miller, Croston's Road (Moorhouses); Hollins Bush, Hollins Lane, Hollins (J. W. Lees) Good Samaritan, Peel Brow, Ramsbottom (J. W. Lees and others).

Prestwich and Whitefield: Woodthorpe, Bury Old Road, Heaton Park (Holt's); Coach and Horses Bury Old Road, Kirkhams (Holt's); Eagle and Child, Higher Lane, Whitefield (Holt's); New Grove, Bury New Road, Whitefield (Holt's).

Rochdale, Oldham and Bury Camra are currently putting the finishing touches to the Bury Beer festival, which will be held at the Met Arts Centre on November 14 and 15.

More than 50 different real ales from around the country will be on offer, together with ciders, perries, foreign beers and food.

The festival is open on Friday 12-3pm and 5-11pm; Saturday 12-4pm and 6-11pm. Entertainment Friday and Saturday evenings, quiet sessions lunchtimes.

The organisers have held admission prices this year, it is still 50p lunchtime, £2 evenings and free to card carrying Camra members.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.