Tough economic conditions continue to face pubs and breweries, and show no sign of easing any time soon. Cask ale brewers with famous names like Black Sheep have been placed into administration and Sharp's being closed by its multinational parent, Molson Coors. On the side of the evil keg, Brewdog has also imploded.

Sadly, we lost a brewery in our branch when Brazenors closed its Cressex tap room, although it was not producing cask ale.

However, we are lucky to continue to have such outstanding breweries in our branch as Chiltern, Rebellion, Vale and XT, who continue to supply local pubs with mostly superb real ale. Chiltern's expansion in particular has seen them produce many more one-off and short-run brews. Booby Trap continues to thrive and it is still yet to produce cask ale but we live in hope. Thanks to our branch's Brewery Liaison officers for their work.

Pubs continue to be threatened. Economic circumstances, both domestically and internationally are especially hitting pubs particularly hard – with another wave of inflation predicted following world events. Closer to home, is the widely reported effect of the increase (and then partial U-turn) in business rates.

Regrettably, there are predators waiting to pounce in the form of developers and property speculators who want to make a quick buck by bulldozing much loved pubs. All that prevents these community institutions being lost forever is the planning system. This includes enabling communities to list pubs as Assets of Community Value and to encourage community ownership. It is useful legislation, but it is not as powerful as we'd like.

Buckinghamshire Council has published a local plan for consultation over planning matters in the years ahead. I am pleased to say that, in conjunction with Milton Keynes and North Bucks branch, we held a face-to-face meeting with the council in December. We met with Steve Bambrick, Corporate Director for Planning, Growth & Sustainability, and Cllr Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning to point out deficiencies in the draft plan regarding pub protection and to strongly make the case for pub protection. The meeting was constructive and we hope to see pubs more explicitly protected when the plan is published.

The work that went into both the consultation response and the preparation for that meeting shows just how much of their own time our volunteers give to CAMRA – reviewing dreary council documents and drafting bureaucratic replies in this case. We do it because we genuinely believe in what CAMRA stands for — because we love our pubs, we love real ale, and because we and people like us have fought to save both, and continue to do so.

As further examples of this, I'd like to thank Andrew Eastwood, who has maintained his admirable job updating the Pubzilla database, often following updates from local members, and for also adding many updated pub photographs. Also, Simon Heap, for his diligent work in organising and minuting meetings and finding us an examiner for our accounts this year.

And, of course, I'd like to express thanks to everyone else who has held a position within the branch this year, served as a committee member and all the active members and volunteers who contribute to our work. While we have relatively low numbers of active members, I'd like to say that this year we have again punched considerably above our weight – which means I can't resist repeating what an appropriate metaphor that is, given CAMRA members' reputation for sporting large beer bellies!

We have a large number of what we might call "invisible" members, who don't attend branch meetings or socials but contribute in other ways, such as sending pub updates and diligently recording beer scores. Our email communication with members also continues to have an exceptionally high engagement rate.

We have a good relationship with the local press, particularly the Bucks Free Press, who give great publicity to our various award winners. Partly as a result of this, we also receive a regular stream of enquiries from individuals and communities looking to save their local pubs. There are also many ongoing contacts with and queries from CAMRA members, members of the public, parish councils, local breweries, charities, beer festival organisers, local journalists and many others, often to ask for publicity for events.

I find all this engagement encouraging and rewarding as it shows that CAMRA is widely acknowledged (and maybe even loved) as a vital organisation at local level in protecting local pubs and breweries. We would be sorely missed if we either disappeared or were not able to provide the level of support behind the scenes that we do.

We have worked on two important initiatives this year as a branch. Our beer festival sub-committee met several times and held some promising discussions about holding a beer festival in Aylesbury.

Our new magazine, Cask Calling, has had two issues published over the past year. Many thanks to Richard Palmer and all who have contributed articles to the first two issues, which have been very well received. Also, thanks to the many who have already submitted articles for the forthcoming third issue, which we have planned to be out by the end of March.

We have had some mixed news on our branch pubs. Too many remain closed with an uncertain future. These include the Derehams Inn in Loudwater, the Pink and Lily and the Unicorn in Cublington. Others have closed relatively recently and we are awaiting news of their future, such as and the Plough in Cadsden.

However, there has been good news. Several pubs have benefited from investment in refurbishment, not least our newly awarded Most Improved Pub of the Year, the Old Millwrights Arms.

We have also had one completely new pub, the Chiltern in Beaconsfield, now our fourth Wetherspoon pub, plus another new real ale outlet in Beaconsfield, Vinny and Ted's. Some closed pubs have reopened, such as the Crown in Radnage.

To finish with two very good pieces of good news: in April the Old Ship in Cadmore End is to reopen after over 15 years; and Nick Smith, who was such a good friend of CAMRA's when he ran the Whip in Lacey Green, is reopening the Bell in Hardwick, hopefully in time for Easter.

As always there are sadly friends of the branch in the local area who have passed away.

Mike Clemence, a long-time active member from Wendover, passed away in the autumn. IN March, Colin Staines, a member of the branch from the very early days but who had long relocated to Devon, passed away. He was an enthusiastic participant of the Black Country trip. He will be remembered on the next one in the traditional way.

We raise our glasses to those who will be sadly missed.

Nevertheless, despite the doom and gloom, we should give ourselves a small pat on the back that we're just all still here and that we have so many fine pubs and breweries remaining in the branch.

It just remains for me to thank the Hop Pole for providing us with this area to hold the AGM and also extend my thanks once again to Simon Heap for his hard work as secretary, Dave Roe as treasurer, Elvis Evans as deputy chairman and all the branch officials, committee members and other active members for all their hard work in the last year and to drink to all our collective good health.