Weekend beer festival in Thatcham

The new owners of the White Hart pub in Thatcham will host the four day festival to get to know the community

A BEER festival will be held at a Thatcham pub this weekend to raise funds for two charities.

The new owners of the White Hart, High Street, have organised the four-day festival, which starts today (Friday).

Co-owner Helen Bromhead said that the event was being held to keep people interested in the pub and to get to know more people in the community, as the group of friends have only owned it since November.

The six friends – Helen and Tony Bromhead, Ray and Lesley Dillon and Neville and Alison Dillon, bought the pub as it was something they all wanted to do.

They all help to run it part time as they have other jobs, but they have employed landlady Sandra Hallett to manage the pub on a day-to-day basis.

She said: “This is by far the biggest event we have held.

“The pub trade is struggling; in general lots of pubs are quiet.

“We have got to make this a community pub and have lots of events.”

On Friday, there will be music in the evening from The Cover Girls, on the Saturday there will be country and western music with Ian and Mel and on Sunday, Jimmy Rocket will play live from 4pm.

On each of the days there will also be tombolas, raffles and a barbecue and there will be a car boot sale on the Sunday.

Funds will be raised for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust and Help for Heroes.