Cullercoats’ Lovely Nelly sails into Commons’ bar with help from local MP

A THIRD North East MP has proven he’s no stranger to good beer by taking a Cullercoats Brewery beer to the House of Commons.

Tynemouth’s Alan Campbell this week invited brewers Bill and Anna Scantlebury to the palace of Westminster to see their pale ale Lovely Nelly served at Strangers’ Bar.

“It was great that Anna and Bill were able to come to Westminster to see their beer in the House of Commons bar,” said Mr Campbell.

“Local businesses such as the Cullercoats Brewery form the backbone of our local economy so I was pleased to be able to help.”

The brewers were able to update Mr Campbell on their progress to the final shortlist of three companies in the North Tyneside Business awards startup category, with the winner announced on Tuesday, December 3.

And during the same trip to London, Bill and Anna visited the Jocks and Geordies beer festival at the capital’s Gunmakers Arms, where their full range of five beers had been on sale alongside other North East brewers.

Earlier this year MPs Guy Opperman and Catherine McKinnell also helped Hadrian Border Brewery and Big Lamp Brewery get their beers onto the bar in the House of Commons.

Lovely Nelly is named after the ship wrecked off Whitley Sands in 1861, when Cullercoats Lifeboat famously went to assist the Lovely Nelly, rescuing many crew members, as recorded in John Charlton’s painting The Women, which hangs in The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.