Just over two decades ago, an unlikely friendship between Castle Rock Brewery and the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was formed. We chat to Erin McDaid, the Trust’s Head of Communications and Marketing, and Liv Auckland, Head of Brand and Communications at the Brewery, all about it…
Cast your mind back to 2001. Manchester United were cruising to another Premier League title. S Club 7’s Don’t Stop Moving was taking over the air waves. And in our own city, a long-lasting relationship between Castle Rock Brewery and the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was about to be born - although through pure fate, as it turns out.
“Honestly, it all started from a chance conversation,” admits Erin McDaid, Head of Communications and Marketing at the Trust. “I was meeting with one of our suppliers, and I mentioned that I wanted to bring together two of my passions - promoting wildlife and beer. They said they might know somebody that might be able to help with that, and they introduced me to Chris Holmes, the founder of Castle Rock Brewery. He was really flexible and very supportive from day one, so we decided to give it a go and it all grew from there.”
A chance encounter it may have been, but it is one that has proven more than fruitful over the years. In the two decades since that initial meeting, the pair have worked together on countless projects to promote sustainability across the county - raising over £130,000 through a variety of fun and creative events. This has ranged from creating pollinator friendly planters to brewing a number of popular collaborative beers. “A highlight has been our Screech Owl,” says Castle Rock’s Liv Auckland, “which was originally brewed as a one-off as part of the Adopt a Species campaign in 2008. That ended up becoming one of our permanent beers. To have something that's such an integral part of our portfolio come from this relationship is really special.”
Having Sir David Attenborough pour one of our beers has got to be a highlight for the company
Yet for all the memorable events from the past twenty one years, one particular moment stands out - a visit from Sir David Attenborough, who once took a trip to Attenborough Nature Reserve and stopped by a local Castle Rock pub for a pint. “Having him pour one of our beers has got to be a highlight for the company,” Liv admits. “That’s our favourite photo of all time.”
After initial plans were delayed due to COVID, the companies are now able to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their partnership in the way they know best - with a tasty collaborative tipple for us Notts folk to try. The new beer, called Into the Wild, is made with sustainably sourced coriander and orange peel, and will be introduced at a launch party at the Canalhouse on Wednesday 16 March. Local artists were asked to design the label for this celebratory brew, in a quest to once again channel the “community feel” that runs through the Brewery.
As well as offering an exciting new option for beer fans, it is hoped that Into the Wild will help to promote the need for environmental action, reminding us that we can all do our bit to protect the planet. “We now realise that to actually rise to environmental challenges, thousands more people have got to get involved,” Erin says. “Our whole strategy is about getting more people to realise what they can do - and this is just one of the ways that we’re able to do that.” Don’t Stop Moving may no longer be number one in the charts, and Manchester United aren’t the footballing force they once were, but one thing has remained constant since 2001 - the productive partnership between these two Nottingham institutions.
Tickets to the Into the Wild launch party are now available here
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