Shepherd Neame has pulled out of sponsoring the Kent Media Awards after 25 years with the event.

For the first time in its history, the brewer will not host the ceremony in 2014.

Held every January, it recognises the best journalism in the county across newspapers, television, radio and online.

The news comes less than a week after the Faversham-based company announced profits fell by £2 million in its end of year financial results.

Organisers Edwards Harvey, who are also PR consultants for the brewer, say Shepherd Neame have decided to invest their money elsewhere.

This includes a focus on the emerging beer blogger section of the media.

Edwards Harvey say their intention is for the awards to go-ahead as usual and that negotiations have already begun with another potential sponsor.

Managing director Pip Clarkson said: “There is never any guarantee who our sponsor is going to be.

“Our intention is that the awards will happen. We are all former journalists here and I have won several Sheps awards myself so we are working on sorting it now.

“We are actively in discussions.”

In the last year, Shepherd Neame has invested more of its marketing budget on events like the Kent Green Hop Beer Fortnight and the International Beer Bloggers Conference in Edinburgh and Boston, USA.

They have also spent heavily on marketing their Spitfire ale in the last 18 months, with a advertising campaign starring comedians Armstrong and Miller.

Shepherd Neame’s communications manager John Humphreys said: “Every year we have to look at what we are investing in and we have taken on a few new projects recently.

“We have to think carefully about any investment we make. The way people write about beer has changed and bloggers didn’t exist a few years ago. We want to connect with them.

“We felt after 25 years supporting the media in Kent it is time to give someone else a chance.

“We hope the awards continue and we enjoyed doing it.”