Shropshire Star

Drinkers raise a glass to Oswestry real ale festival

[gallery] More visitors than ever visited the 2014  real ale festival in Oswestry, delighted organisers said today.

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The sixth Oswestry Lions Club event took place at the Memorial Hall when more than 20 casks of real ale were on offer, all supplied by local breweries.

Lions club member Clive Humphries said about 250 people went along to the event.

"The festival has grown in popularity in recent years and I think this one was the busiest we have had," he said.

"Over the six years we have seen an increase in microbrewing in the area. This year we had all our beers from Shropshire bar two and they were from Powys."

The list included Oswestry's own Stonehouse Brewery which played a major role in sourcing the beers, providing specialist equipment and supporting the event.

"Stonehouse has been involved since the start and has been a great help and support," said Mr Humphries.

He added: "We thought we would give it a go because a few other Lions clubs up and down the country had done their own festivals and they had been successful."

"That was six years ago and the popularity has increased steadily. The festival, held at this time of year is a great chance for people to have a nice time and try out a few ales and drinks they may not have tried before.

"It has always a good atmosphere. We had a few new breweries this year – there are quite a few popping up around Shropshire so it is good to have them."

He said it was not yet known how much the event will have made for Lions Clubs charities.

Lions Clubs like the one in Oswestry regularly make contributions to good causes, including local charities, disaster relief and funding for worldwide health projects.

Every penny of profit arising from the real ale festival will contribute towards helping with the group's charitable work.

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