Welcome to We Are Beer People - a podcast all about the many different people who help us enjoy beer. I wonder how much we stop to think about who is in the pub with us, who's there's having a drink, who's behind the bar, who made the beer you're drink.   And perhaps, the more important question is who is not there? Fewer than one in 20 adults with learning disabilities in England are in paid work.   And that's where the Count Me In Collective comes in. Today's guest, Becky Whinnerah, co-founded the Count Me In Collective with her husband John.   The Count Me In Collective (which you might hear called CMIC or C MIC) is a movement designed to improve the representation and experiences of those with neurodiversities and learning disabilities within hospitality and brewing.   Becky has a background as an artist, a brewer, a landlord, a musician, a lecturer and teacher; and has direct experience as a parent-carer for her children.   Their work begins with networking and collaborations within breweries, pubs and bars, increasing awareness of communities who may not find beer, pubs and bars as inherently welcoming as many of us do.   What started as an idea, has seen several collaborations with Berkshire breweries, a crowdfunding campaign and the creation of a brewery in the back of Reading's Castle Tap pub.   What's been truly wonderful is hearing how much of a difference this is already making to the people that are being Counted In and to the breweries and pubs that are getting involved.   This takes an awful lot of hard work from a collective of volunteers - so if you'd like to help with your time, skills, partnerships, guidance or donations please get in touch with Becky and you can find the details and social media channels at CMIC.UK   With that, I headed to The Castle Tap pub to have a chat with one of the beer people about making beer a place for everybody. With huge thanks to Cara and the team at The Castle Tap for hosting us and creating such an inviting, welcoming place. Follow CMIC: Website: https://cmic.uk Twitter: @countmeincoll Instagram: @countmeincollective/ Facebook: Count-Me-In-Collective/ Follow us to stay updated: Website: www.wearebeerpeople.co.uk Social media: @wearebeerpeople on X (Twitter) and Instagram Get in touch on email: [email protected] Intro/outro music: That One Time by Midnight Daydream Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.