The Ripon Cathedral Beer Festival took place on Bank Holiday Monday in the grounds of Ripon Cathedral. The glorious sunshine brought out the crowds, many families (and some well-behaved dogs!) enjoyed a lovely day in the grounds of the Cathedral.
This annual community charity fundraiser in aid of Ripon Cathedral raised a record £16,500 which will benefit Ripon Cathedral Renewed, a campaign supporting the Dean’s development plans for a 21st Century Yorkshire Cathedral.
The major sponsor of the 2018 event, CNG of Harrogate and supported by Principal Business Partners, Stratstone BMW and MINI and Brewin Dolphin. Many local businesses and 20 local breweries have also provided generous sponsorship.
Our grateful thanks go to Hambleton Ales, Rudgate Brewery, and Rick Jones of The Water Rat for managing the beers from breweries all over Yorkshire. There was a selection of Yorkshire real ales, 3240 pints were consumed and sold out! 500 pints of “Old Slippage” a local cider grown and produced at Old Sleningford near Ripon.
To entertain the children there was a bouncy castle, a craft table and a team of face painters led by the Dean’s secretary Judith. Our grateful thanks go to them for painting so many happy faces. Community events like these could not run without an army of volunteers and our thanks go to each and every one for collecting entrance money on the gate, selling tokens, running the bar, serving food, clearing up and a thousand other jobs.
Another group that give their time for free are the musicians. Returning from previous years the hugely supportive “Two Well Worn”, and the fabulous and upbeat “King Courgette” as well as acoustic musician Leon Marshall. New for 2018 were the Bad Daddies and the fabulous Grand Ole Uke of York who saw out the Beer Festival in style!
One happy Festival attender commented, “I live just outside Ripon and for many years I have heard about the Ripon Cathedral Beer Festival, this year was the first time that my family have attended and we will certainly come back again next year with a group of friends from our village. The whole atmosphere of the Festival is fantastic, very family friendly, with great music and great food and drink”.
Dear Editor,
I know you cannot please all the people all the time. But I play in the ‘Elders”, a band that performed at the beer festival this year and last year. How come this we year we did not get a mention? Even though we played our hearts out for 45mins for free. Are you trying to tell us something?