Manchester’s Christie Hospital has been presented with a £2,000 cheque (see photograph) from Lancashire’s acclaimed Moorhouse’s Brewery following a fund raising golf tournament.

The annual two day charity event, for Moorhouse’s customers and suppliers, saw 35 teams compete at the Standish Court Golf Club, near Chorley. The £2,000 was raised for with a raffle of prizes contributed by suppliers and an auction. It was donated to the specialist cancer hospital’s Lymphoma Department. The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres.

(L-R) Moorhouse's directors Bill and Irene Parkinson, Jacky Plant of Christie and brewery MD David Grant.

David Grant, managing director, said: “Our competition has become ever more popular each year so for the second time we ran it over two days and we were very pleased to be able to raise this money for Christie.”

Burnley based Moorhouse’s is the North West’s leading dedicated cask-conditioned ale brewer and has won more awards than any other comparable brewer. Work began recently on a £3.5m new brewery development to triple production capacity for its famous ‘Pendle Witch’ brands.

Moorhouse’s Brewery has been hailed one of East Lancashire’s most outstanding businesses for 2009. At the annual Lancashire Telegraph Business Awards the Burnley brewer was ‘heralded as an innovator’ with the ‘We’re Backing Business’ accolade.

Presented for the first time this year, in partnership with Business Link, the award recognised Moorhouse’s determination to buck the recession – winning new national supply deals with leading pub chains and going ahead with a £3.5m expansion programme.

At the glittering presentation evening at Blackburn’s Ewood Park, the audience heard that Moorhouse’s has enjoyed 15 per cent year-on-year growth and how the new brewing complex will treble production capacity and include a training school and visitor centre to create 17 new jobs.

David Grant of Moorhouse's (left) receives the business award from Khallid Saifullah of Business Link.

David Grant, Moorhouse’s managing director, said: “This comes at a very exciting time. With our new complex coming on-stream in 2011, we now stand on the brink of taking our place as a true regional brewer. The award recognises that, no matter how bad the economic climate, if you are determined to achieve and you have the right team behind you then you can do it. We have not accepted the recession. Being positive and living with it is the key.”

The win was the internationally acclaimed brewer’s third business accolade this year. It follows the Best Marketing Initiative trophy from Burnley Borough Council Business Innovation Awards and a Highly Commended award at the Food North West Awards.

Moorhouse’s is the North West’s largest dedicated cask ale brewery and has won more awards than any brewer of comparable size with the famous brands that pay tribute to the witches who roamed Pendle Hill, near Burnley, in the early 17th century.

Moorhouse’s has rolled out new festive brew Lap Prancer.

Replacing Santa’s Piste, the acclaimed Burnley brewer’s previous Christmas special, Lap Prancer (4.2%) is brewed with a Bock style malt (Munich Malt), often associated with religious occasions, to give amber to mid brown coloured ale with a rich, full malty flavour. Cascade and Fuggles hops provide a spicy/floral aroma and a satisfying long finish.

Moorhouse’s managing director David Grant said: “Santa’s Piste was very popular for several years but we decided to ring the changes with this new brew to add a little more to the seasonal fun. Our brewers have come up with a very flavoursome rich and satisfying brew which, with its humorous branding, we think we will well suit the festivities.”

In line with growth throughout the year, the award winning brewer is once again anticipating record breaking sales of its five core famous Pendle Witch brands* over the Christmas and New Year. This year advertising support has switched from regional TV to Lancashire local radio with a commercial aired throughout December. Two years ago Moorhouse’s became the smallest brewer ever to launch a festive TV campaign, which also ran last year.

Recently work has begun on a new £3.5m brewery complex that will treble production capacity to around 1000 barrels a week by early 2011 and include a visitor centre and training school.

East Lancs Camra’s John Ingham has celebrated taking over a popular Moorhouse’s village pub with a brewery supported ‘greet the locals night’.

For retired accountant and former branch chairman John, the numbers added up to step behind the bar at the Rising Sun in Blacko, near Colne, Lancashire. A favourite pub of Roger Protz, the unspoilt historic hostelry overlooks the famous Pendle Hill landmark in Lancashire’s witch country – the inspiration for Moorhouse’s acclaimed brands, including Black Cat, Pendle Witches Brew, Blond Witch and Pride of Pendle.

Cheers to John Ingham (right) at the Rising Sun.

To mark John’s arrival, brewery chairman Bill Parkinson joined a ‘welcome night’ complete with quiz prizes that included a pint of beer a day for a month. Prior to the night, one-pint vouchers were issued in the parish magazine to be redeemable throughout November in a teasing ‘Take Pride in Your Local’ promotion. John says he plans to ensure a warm welcome to villagers and visitors alike in a friendly village pub environment with a quality home cooked bar snacks.

David Grant, Moorhouse’s managing director said: “This is a terrific community pub and we wanted to welcome John with a special night for the villagers. Moorhouse’s witch beers have, of course, a reputation for their top quality – and now we have got a top Camra man to look after them.”

The award winning Burnley brewer enjoyed record shattering sales for October**. In the week before Halloween 522 brewer’s barrels left the Lancashire brewery as demand for the famous ‘Pendle Witches’ cask ales grows throughout the UK. The sales triumph comes as the internationally acclaimed brewer embarks on a £3.5m new brewery development to treble production capacity.

Moorhouse’s expects to bewitch cask ale enthusiasts throughout the country this month as the famous ‘Pendle Witches’ ales enjoy record breaking Halloween sales.

Supplying the forthcoming Wetherspoons Beer Festival the leading Lancashire cask brewer will deliver 1000 firkins of premium strength Black Panther (4.8%ABV) to the national pub chain and roll out a seasonal ales selection to free traders.

Under the annual ‘Which Craft’ Ales Will You Be Drinking this October?’ promotion the carefully blended ales available are: Broomstick Bitter (4.0%abv); Witchhunt (4.8%abv); Black Witch (4.2%abv); Witches Cauldron (4.2%abv); Witchfinder General (4.4%abv) alongside the award winning core brands, including Blond Witch and Black Cat. The promotion is also supported with hundreds of miniature witch models offered to selected free traders as give-aways and prizes for Halloween quizzes.

David Grant, Managing Director, with the Halloween ales and witch models.

Moorhouse’s internationally acclaimed brands pay tribute to the legend of the notorious witches who roamed the Pendle Hill area near Burnley in the late 16th century. In recent years the brewery has seen sales boosted by more than 35% during the weeks prior to October 31.

David Grant, Moorhouse’s managing director, said: “We were delighted to win the J.D Wetherspoon deal for this year’s Halloween season. On top of our ever growing free trade business it means we have hit a new production record – more than 500 brewer’s barrels in one week alone. Also, once again we are supporting free traders who wish to enjoy another magical October with their customers despite the general doom and gloom.

“Overall our sales continue to enjoy year-on-year growth – 15% this year. A recently published Cask Report reveals more and more people are making cask their drink of choice. We are very pleased to be playing a lead role in persuading drinkers that cask is magic – at Halloween and all year round.”

Following the sales growth of recent years the brewery has now embarked upon a £3.5m development that will treble production capacity to around 1000 barrels a week by early 2011.

Moorhouse’s Brewery’s Pendle Witch pub in Atherton, Greater Manchester, has worked its spell on real-ale enthusiasts to win Pub of the Year from the local Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) group.

Members of the South East Lancashire branch voted the popular community pub into the top spot for the quality of the award winning Pendle witches themed ales – including the much acclaimed Black Cat and Pendle Witches Brew* – atmosphere and welcome.

Pendle Witch Landlady Joan Houghton receives the Camra award from Steve Prescott, branch chairman watched by Moorhouse's MD David Grant (left) and chairman Bill Parkinson.

The accolade comes soon after popular licensee Joan Houghton also won the highly prestigious Cask Marque recognition- awarded to individual publicans for consistent cask-conditioned beer quality. This success follows a major investment in the Pendle Witch that upgraded the cellar environment as well as providing a new dining conservatory and improvements to the popular pub garden.

The Pendle Witch, just off the town centre in Warburton Place, is described by the Camra Good Beer Guide 2010 as a ‘hidden gem’.

David Grant, Moorhouse’s managing director, said: “Joan was among our licensees that achieved the Cask Marque standard with flying colours. So the Camra award was extremely well deserved and further evidence of her dedication, which is critical to the success of our famous cask ales.”

Moorhouse’s, the North-West dedicated cask ale brewer, has pledged to support free traders in achieving Cask Marque status for the quality of their beer.

Moorhouse’s have a firm belief that this will grow cask ale sales both for the licensee and the brewery. The first step on this road was for Moorhouse’s to become a corporate member of Cask Marque, joining many of the leading regional brewers and pub groups in committing to support the cask ale category.

Cask Marque' s Annabel Smith (L) and Moorhouse's David Grant with licensee Lynne Murton.

Next Moorhouse’s tied estate was put forward for Cask Marque and now the brewery have committed to support a number of their free trade customers through the accreditation scheme.

David Grant, Moorhouse’s Managing Director. said “Our licensees achieved this rigorous standard with flying colours – testimony to their dedication to delivering quality beer. They know that this dedication is critical to the success of cask ale.

“Building on this success, we aim to further invest in the future by helping a number of our free trade partners achieve this prestigious status. On the brink of a multi-million pound expansion, we are more determined than ever that quality must be king both in the brewery and at the point of dispense.”

Paul Nunny, Director of Cask Marque said “We are pleased to have Moorhouse’s as a corporate member and their enthusiasm for the future will translate into continued growth in their cask ale sales. As well as supporting Cask Marque accreditation the new brewery complex will include a trade school that will provide cellar management training to both publicans and their staff.”

Moorhouse’s have taken delivery of a new 12 tonne vehicle.   The lorry container is of the modern ‘teardrop’ shape, designed by the Bevern Group, and is expected to achieve fuel savings of between 5 and 15%.  Further news of Moorhouses’ new vehicle will follow shortly.

With 35 five teams taking part in the charity event at the Standish Court Golf Club, near Chorley, £2,000 was raised for Christies Hospital with a raffle of prizes donated by suppliers and an auction.

A team fielded by the Cassons Accountants of Burnley emerged victorious as overall winner for the first day (Wed) of the event while Mike Weaver of the Ship Inn team from Latham was top individual player. On the second day Low Moor Reading Rooms of Clitheroe won the day and John Ashworth of Green mount Butchers, Bury, was individual winner. Chairman Bill Parkinson and his wife Irene presented the winning trophies (see photographs).

David Grant, managing director, said: “Our competition has become ever more popular each year so for the second time we ran it over two days so we could accommodate all the teams. We had a terrific couple of days while raising money for the Christie’s Charity.”

John Ashworth, of Greenmount Butchers is presented with his trophy by Mrs Irene Parkinson.

The Cassons team with brewery chairman Bill Parkinson (third from right) and David Grant, MD (far right)

The Low Moor Reading Rooms' team receive their winners' shield from Mrs Irene Parkinson.

Mike Weaver,of the Ship Inn team receives his trophy from Moorhouse's chairman Bill Parkinson (L) and MD David Grant.