Sedgley scout group ready to put on popular beer festival

The annual real ale event is being held in First Sedgley Scout Group's Jubilee Hall headquarters at Ladies Walk.

Doors open at 5pm on Friday, September 27, with 36 beers featured this year.

The two-day festival, run by volunteers from the scout group, has raised more than £90,000 for the group and good causes over the years.

Festival committee chairman and group chairman David Baugh said: "We expect up to 1,500 people to attend over the course of the two days.

"We have more than 100 volunteers involved this year.

"We started setting up on Monday – it is a real labour of love to put it on each year."

Tickets are on sale on the gate at £15, which includes a festival glass and £10 of drinks tokens.

The festival also offers 14 ciders and a gin bar featuring 10 gins and four rums. There will also be a barbecue operating.

It runs until 11pm each day and opens at 12 noon on Saturday.

Mr Baugh said the festival had started out as a small festival with 20 barrels of beer in a small hall to more than 30 beers and a host of gins, ciders and rums.

He said it was wonderful to put on such a big event and to celebrate a significant anniversary.

He said: "It's magnificent because we started off small and were hesitant at the start as we wondered whether a scout group could run a beer festival to raise money.

"The leaders decided to go ahead with it and give it a go and we wondered the first time around whether we'd cover our costs, but with the support of local breweries and the sponsors, it's developed into this big social event."

There will be a number of live bands performing including Sedgley Ukulele Strummers on the Saturday afternoon, Damn The Weather, Venus Rising and Woodsetton Wonderers.

Gold sponsors are N D Walters Carpets and Flooring in Dudley Road, Sedgley.

Charities being helped this year include the BBC Children in Need appeal and the Beacon Centre for the Blind in Sedgley.