Company cheer makes success of beer festivals
10:37am Tuesday 15th September 2009 in Business News
TWO local beer festivals are going ahead despite the recession — thanks to the generosity of local businesses.
The Edgworth Real Ale Festival is back for its fourth year later this month, and will be followed by the Bolton Beer Festival at the Bolton Rugby Club.
Both festivals rely heavily on business sponsorship to help defray the set up and running costs, meaning more money can be donated to their chosen charities.
Bolton Beer Festival raises money for the Bolton Lads and Girls Club and Edgworth Real Ale Festival will donate money to the Derian House Children’s Hospice and Bolton Mountain Rescue.
This year the founder of the Bolton Beer Festival, former Bolton businessman Clive Nightingale, will once again make the 1,000-mile round trip from Austria, where he owns a ski lodge, to run the event.
He started the beer festival in 1994 when he was landlord of the Howcroft Inn in Pool Street, but it is now based at Bolton Rugby Club in Avenue Street.
Bolton business systems and software company Eventura, itself a super patron of the Lads Club, has designed and launched this year’s Bolton Beer Festival website free of charge.
The firm is also helping the club to get programme sponsors and barrel sponsorship, as well as promoting corporate packages.
Eventura owner Chris Houghton said: “It’s a great cause to support and as far as I know it is an annual event that raises the most money for the lads club.
“We have designed the website and we are the main glass sponsor this year so our name will be on every glass.
“The beer festival is a great event which is celebrated by companies and individuals and all those volunteers who give their time free to help raise cash for the lads club.”
Bolton Beer Festival is the largest privately-organised beer festival in the country and each year raises £30,000 for the club. Over the last 15 years, the festival has donated well over £250,000. The five-day festival will have about 220 guest beers, as well as ciders and lagers, and will attracts around 5,000 people. It has food and live entertainment and will run from October 7 to 11.
The Edgworth festival has so far donated £16,000 to local charities and this year, in addition to Thwaites and Black Sheep Brewery sponsorship, a local village dental design company is also sponsoring the event.
The Dental Design Studio is a newly-established practice in Edgworth and its director, Craig Howlin, said: “As a new business to the area, Dental Design Studio is very proud to be a major sponsor of such a popular event in the village.”
The theme of this year’s festival is “The War of The Roses”. It will feature about 60 different beers, largely from micro-breweries on either side of the Pennines.
Beers will include Rudgates Mild, voted Champion Beer of Britain at this year’s Great British Beer Festival.
The festival will take place at The Barlow Institute in Edgworth on September 25, 26 and 27.
For more information visit: www.beer-festival.co.uk and www.eraf.org.uk
