Festival to boost Star appeal

REAL ale enthusiasts will see plenty of brews named after plants and animals at this month's Ipswich Beer Festival.

REAL ale enthusiasts will see plenty of brews named after plants and animals at this month's Ipswich Beer Festival.

The event - which is being staged at the Corn Exchange from September 23 to 26 - has a Darwin theme to mark the scientist's 200th anniversary and the 150th year since publication of his Origin of Species work.

Drinkers attending the four days will also give another big boost to a charity with animals at its heart - with the event supporting the Evening Star's appeal to help Guide Dogs for the Blind.

The charity will be sending along a team of volunteers to help out and hopes the festival will raise a big sum for its work.

Festival organiser Paul Jeffery said: “Each year we pick a charity to support and we thought Guide Dogs would be quite appropriate with the theme of the event being animal-related.

“We also have two of our own members who are guide dog users and so it's a charity which is fairly close to home.”

Penny Parker, who has been puppy walker for guide dog Star for the past year while the appeal has been raising money for her breeding and initial training, was thrilled with the beer festival's support.

“It's fantastic that they have chosen Guide Dogs to support and we will be doing everything we can to help them during the event,” she said.

Mr Jeffery said the festival would feature more than 200 British beers, plus 38 German and eight Belgian ones, plus ciders.

“The vast majority will have plant, animal, bird and reptile names, and there will be a huge variety,” he said.

Entertainment will include blues-rock guitarist Steve Linton and his band, oompah band Alpengold Blaskapelle and the glam rockers Glamtastics.