Clare was first introduced to real ale and CAMRA when she moved to a new job in Suffolk and was invited to the local beer festival by her journalist colleagues. She initially joined the West Suffolk branch and was actively involved with local beer festivals as a volunteer and for a couple of years helped organise a festival in Bury St Edmunds. Living in a rural county, Clare recognises the value of village pubs to their communities and with Suffolk and Norfolk being large barley growing areas, there’s also no shortage of breweries offering a wide selection of ales in her area.