Site FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

	What's the Griffin about?
	Solihull is sadly devoid of readily identifiable icons, architectural, cultural or human. So we adopted and adapted one of the heraldic beasts from Solihull's coat of Arms as the logo/mascot of Solihull & Disctrict CAMRA. Apparently the Griffin, like the other figures on the shield, was originally the emblem of local nobs, in this case the Earls of Aylesford, whose family seat is Packington Hall near Meriden. We also named him "Gambrinus".
	Er, Gambrinus?
	That's right - Gambrinus Griffin. After a lengthy period of reflection, it was the erudite Ken Jackson who made the suggestion (still more impressive as it was immediately after a brewery visit). The original Gambrinus was a legendary king of Flanders who is sometimes credited with the concept of brewing with malt and hops and has subsequently become the patron saint of beer. Medieval, beer-related, beer-inspired and alliterative - what more do you want?
	What does the Latin mean?
	"Pro Fermento Vero" roughly means "In Favour of Real Ale": Pro = for, on behalf of; Fermento = beer; Vero = real, true, genuine. Note that in Latin the adjective follows the noun and word endings change depending on the sentence structure. Also, the Romans were wine drinkers, so Fermentum is an obscure and approximate word. On some pages the motto appears as "Pro Cervisia Vera", which means the same thing. Oh, and there is one other slightly philosophical Latin phrase to be found...
	Who is "Toby Jugg"?
	He succeeds Martin Collinge as the Solihull Beer Hunter. As to his real identity... you'll just have to read his regular Solihull Times articles and see if he drops any clues!
	How was the site made?
	Every page was created by hand with raw HTML and JavaScript, using TextPad, a super-functional text editor (highly recommended). Web page generators just don't give the same level of control!
	What, no page generating software?
	None, although many of the pages are driven by PlanetWorks WebForge, an extremely flexible content management system. WebForge allows developers to adapt their own HTML pages so that non-technical users can easily maintain the content. Without this, it would be very difficult to keep a site this size up to date.
	Who created it?
	The original Solihull CAMRA website was created by Roger Dipple, and almost all of its text and photography has been incorporated into the new site. The new site was designed and constructed by Kevin Clarke, who also created its original artwork.
	Who runs it?
	Apart from , who is the current webmaster (Roger has moved on to become our illustrious leader), a number of committee members and co-opted helpers keep various parts of the site up to date. In particular, looks after the various diary pages, maintains his own Beerhunter and Spotlight Inns pages and helps with local news stories, looks after the data behind the pub guides, and Gordon Clarke has essentially become the de facto official branch photographer. There is also, of course, a small but indispensible army who supply words and photos and contribute to the Real Ale Reporter. Cheers, guys!