MORE than 1,000 members of The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) will be descending on the Bournemouth International Centre in April.

CAMRA will staging its weekend AGM and conference at the Bournemouth centre.

CAMRA event organiser Nigel Jones said: "Beer lovers from across the UK will be delighted to experience the rich variety of breweries and pubs in Bournemouth, which has seen real growth in recent years.

"We look forward to introducing our fellow CAMRA members to the area and have put together a number of pub guides and tours to showcase the best that East Dorset has to offer, which we hope will provide a welcome boost to local businesses."

Socials are planned at local pubs, including a parallel young member's event, organised trips and informal pub crawls along East Dorset's best micro brewers and cider houses.

A number of local brewers will also be opening their doors to CAMRA members with complimentary beer and food samples as part of the weekend's festivities.

The conference is scheduled for April 7-9.