Newbury's 9th Real Ale Festival proves a sell-out

Held at Northcroft Park, from midday until 11pm, the charity fundraiser offered a choice of 140 ales and 90 ciders and perrys, along with seven varieties of English wine - the latter for the first time.
Organised by volunteers, the festival was in aid of Naomi House Children’s Hospice, Sutton Scotney and Thatcham Hockey Club. A spokesman for the organisers, David Whittingham, said the total raised was still being calculated this morning (Mon).
However he said this was expected to be a greater amount than last year, due to an increase in visitor numbers this year.
With 4,500 paying entrants on the day - almost 1,000 more than last year - entry wristbands sold out by around 6.30pm, after a swell in visitor numbers during the afternoon.
“We were unable to let any additional people in. Whilst this meant disappointment for some people, we hope that everyone who attended enjoyed the day and will join us again in 2012, said Mr Whittingham, adding:
“The first to sell out was the Mr Whiteheads Toffee Apple Cider. All 90 barrels of cider (as well as 20 others delivered in the afternoon) were sold out by approximately 9.30pm.”
Also new this year was a ‘Keep off the Grass tent’, adding a second sound stage and greater choice of music, with food choices including a hog roast.
“We would like to thank all the local companies that sponsored the event for their support which included our premier partners Advoco Solutions, Opus Accounting and Weatherspoon. We would also like to thank all the volunteers who helped throughout the day and helped make the event such a great success,” said Mr Whittingham.
Other sponsors included Gardner Leader solicitors and the Newbury Weekly News.