AROUND 200 beers, ciders and perries will be available for visitors to taste at this year’s Bromsgrove Beer and Cider Festival at the end of the month.

The event takes place at Bromsgrove Rugby Club, Finstall, - conveniently a short walk from the railway station - from Thursday June 29 to Saturday July 1 and is run by the Redditch and Bromsgrove branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The town’s 15th beer and cider festival will host the West Midlands Region Beer of the Year Competition and entertainment on the Saturday afternoon will include the popular Blackwell Concert Band. Formed in 1998, the band features a wide range of players whose repertoire includes marches, jazz, calypso, blues, pop, rock, film scores and more. On Friday night the music, to be announced, will start at around 7pm.

A range of food will be available throughout the event and camping facilities are available on a first-come first-served basis at the rugby club for a charge of £5 per night for a tent and £10 per night for a campervan/caravan. Parking is available, until the field is full, at a cost of £2.

There will be 144 beers and more than 50 ciders and perries for people to sample with beer and cider tasting sessions showcasing different styles that are representative of the wonderful variety of real ales and cider/perry that are currently being produced in the UK.

This year’s event is supporting the charity Parkinson’s UK, which aims to improve the quality of life for people affected by the illness, funds research aimed at finding better treatments and raises awareness about Parkinson’s and its causes.

The festival will be open from 6pm to 11 pm on the first day. This is exclusively for card-carrying CAMRA members and non-members wishing to join.

On Friday it will be open to all from 12 noon to 11pm and on Saturday from 11am to 9.30pm. Admission costs £10 which includes a programme, £5 worth of drinks vouchers and a deposit for a commemorative glass. Card-carrying CAMRA members receive £7 worth of vouchers.

The organisers says there is a large grassed area so people can bring their own gazebos and make a day of it.