ISS National Award Presentation The overall winner of the Inn Sign Society Sign of the Year 2011 Award - St Anne's Castle Great Leighs, Essex. Click here for details of the presentation   From left to right: Keith Forsdick, Roger Pester, John Saxton, Dawn White, AC, Geoff White, DD, GB & Peter Crosby & licensees Photo of sign by Peter Crosby Group photos by David Roe Article from Braintree & Witham Times Proud licensees Dave & Pat Balcombe with Anthony Collis, Dave Davis (Punch Taverns) & Gordon Bentley Spreading the word A post-presentation press announcement about the winning sign has been sent to the following media outlets. Daily Telegraph             Daily Mail           Metro News               Morning Advertiser       Daily Mirror       Essex Life  CAMRA (What's Brewing)                       The One Show The targets outlets were intentionally chosen as each appeals to a specific profile of the population. We shan't hold our breath in expectation of a reply, let alone coverage, but if we don't talk about it, nobody else will! The pub’s present site was once a hermitage that was an outpost of Leez Priory, some 5 miles away. The hermitage is known to have been visited by the pilgrims en route to the tomb of Thomas Becket (c.1118 – 1170). The pub’s name refers to Saint Anne (Hannah) who was the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus Christ. The inclusion of castle in the pub’s name is thought to refer to the towers that adorned the hermitage. The sign shows the date 1171 A.D., which is the year following Becket’s assassination. The original building lays claim to be the oldest licensed premises in England. Click here to see the regional winners Past winners of the national award are: 2008 - The Park (Lancaster, Lancs) 2009 – Poplars (Wingfield, Wilts) 2010 - Vulcan Arms (Sizewell, Suffolk) Winter 2011 Journal Contents include articles on: Cock Fighting Cricket - part 4 Lake District - part 2 William Hogarth profile West Midlands group history plus What's Inn a Name Click here for quick access to index of recent journals   ISS CD-ROM Vol 15 available soon! The latest CD-ROM - Vol. 15 - is being prepared by ISS Archivist, Brian Curtis. The disk contains pictures of more than 1,100 signs. It will be available to members only, priced at £20 to UK members and £25 to overseas members. Both prices include p&p. Mail your order with cheque (payable to Brian Curtis) to: 24, Steinbeck Rd, Carlton, Notts. NG4 1FF   Seventh Area Rep on board! We are pleased to announce that Ray Scarfe will undertake the role of Area Representative for the South region. Ray's area covers Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex. The list of Area Representatives to date is: Cumbria & N Lancashire - Martin Norman East Anglia - Gordon Bentley Kent & East Sussex - Allan Leetham Scotland - Alex McCallum South - Ray Scarfe USA - Bill Conroy West Midlands - David Cole Members who wish to offer their services in other areas are invited to contact the Publicity Officer in the first instance.   Regional Meeting The next quarterly meeting of the WM regional group will be held at the usual venue on 14 April 2012. Click here for further details       Top