Gosport Winterfest raises hundreds of pounds for good cause

Punters at Winterfest, at Thorngate Halls, Gosport, helped to collect £550 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

More than 100 real ales, ciders and bottled beers were on offer for guests at the event, put together by the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.

This year there was a focus on brews from Bath and Bristol, with 30 different varieties being brought in from the region.

Festival co-ordinator Dave Livingstone said: ‘The festival was hugely successful and being able to secure a cracking sum for a charity was brilliant.

‘Many thanks to all of the volunteers and the raffle we did was a major contributor.

‘This year’s event was better than last year, and it was bigger in terms of the number of beers.

‘We are hoping to make the event even bigger next year.

‘It’s probably one of the longest running festivals in the area and within the local Campaign for Real Ale branch.

Talking about why it has continued to prove a success, Dave said: ‘It’s run by volunteers, ale has become a lot more current, especially with all of the microbreweries that are now around.

‘There’s a fantastic choice out there now.

‘It’s really great.

‘We specialise in winter beers you wouldn’t normally get at any other time of the year.’

A panel of judges at the festival also determined which beer should go through as a regional finalist in Camra’s national winter beer festival next year.

The identity of that beer will be released soon by the headquarters of the Campaign for Real Ale.