Hundreds march to keep Burton-upon-Trent beer heritage centre open

Campaigners walked along the High Street and then on to the National Brewery Centre on Sunday

Campaigners battling to keep a heritage brewery centre open have staged a march in Staffordshire.

Hundreds of people gathered to walk along High Street, Burton-upon-Trent, to the National Brewery Centre on Sunday.

Owner Molson Coors wants the centre to be its new headquarters after selling its current base on the High Street.

Up to 50 jobs are at risk from the closure of the site, which has a museum and in-house brewery.

Organiser Jack Burrows said Burton and brewing were historically linked

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said shutting the centre would be a "devastating loss" as it was "the only museum in the UK focused solely on our brewing heritage".

At one point Burton produced about a quarter of the UK's beer and more than 30 breweries once operated there.

• Beer heritage centre closure a 'devastating loss'

March organiser Jack Burrows said Burton was synonymous with brewing.

"Brewing is in our heritage," he said.

"All over the UK, when people think of Burton they think of brewing. Without the National Brewery Centre we fear that connect between Burton and its history of brewing will be lost instantly, forever."

Molson Coors has said it is committed to managing the move "sensitively" and is having ongoing discussions with the centre's heritage trust and the council about preserving the contents of the historic buildings on the site until a new centre can be found for them.

About 500 staff will move to the new headquarters.

The loss of the museum would be devastating, Camra says