Wetherby Lions Beer Festival – A Roaring Success!
Wetherby Lions Club held their sixth Beer Festival at the St James Church Centre, Wetherby last Saturday, starting at 12pm and we planned to finish when the beer ran out! We counted 450 adults, 104 children and 8 dogs coming through the door! There was a range of 20 carefully chosen beers by our expert, Irene of Wise Owls Consultancy for the dedicated beer drinkers. In addition we provided a Prosecco bar, a Cider Bar and a Soft Drinks counter for the children and non-drinkers, all run by Lions, partners and friends.
From past experience we know that serious beer drinkers soon need sustenance and our Lions ladies provided pies and peas to fill the gap, whilst outside there was a traditional BBQ run by Lions offering beef burgers, cheese burgers and sausages in a bap. Thanks to the brilliant weather, all of our “concessions” sold out by the end of the day.
Brilliant musical entertainment was by “The Suitcase Dwellers” and “Lucy and Jo” who kept playing throughout the day and they provided just the right kind of background, without being intrusive. Other features were a Coconut Shy, Stocks where “willing” Lion volunteers had wet sponges thrown at them and a “Choose A Lolly” stall for the youngsters.
As was widely publicized, we ran this Beer Festival for the benefit of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, who put on a display to show what a wonderful job they do in Yorkshire. Few people are aware that they rely entirely on the generosity of the public and charitable organisations such as ourselves to keep this vital service going.
We could not run this event without the generosity of our sponsors, some 20 in number whose generosity ensures that we can provide a top class event. Early indications are that we will be able to make a significant donation to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which will take place in a month or two, to be arranged.
Our next event is the Duck Race which takes place on Sunday 10th of July, which is on the last day of the Food Festival. Some 2000 plastic ducks will be braving the rapids of the River Wharfe, to hopefully finish at the Bridge on the Ings. For more information, please have a look at our dedicated website at www.wetherbylions.org
Compiled by: Robert Rolfe, President Wetherby Lions Club
