A Bristol secondary school might sound an unlikely venue for a beer festival but organisers of the first ever Ashton Beerfest say they are doing it all for a good cause. The one-day event in July has been organised by Steve and Jo Sayers, whose son attends Ashton Park, and all proceeds will go towards a much-needed mini-bus for the school.
Steve and Jo were inspired by a similar event in Somerset. They had such a good time that they came back to Bristol with the idea of organising one at their son’s school.
Ashton Beerfest will be open to the public as well as families at the school and it will be divided into two sessions. From 11am to 4pm, there’s a family session with plenty of activities for kids. Between 6pm and 11pm, it’s a ‘proper grown-up party’ for over-18s only with live music, food stalls and what Steve promises will be ‘a well stocked bar’.
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The beer festival is being described by the organisers as ‘the most fun you’ll have at school’ and they have been inundated with people wanting to volunteer. “The whole thing is volunteer-led and it’s great to see people coming together and make it happen,” says Steve. “It has a nice feeling to it already and although the school was surprised at the idea, they’ve gone for it.
“We had friends in Somerset who did a similar thing and they raised quite a lot of money for their school. We came back and said we could do this at Ashton Park as the school has some fantastic grounds and it’s next to Ashton Court.
“We also want it to be a sustainable event in many ways. And there’s no need for people to bring a car because there are bus stops nearby and it’s also easy to walk to from Southville, the harbourside and other areas.”
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As well as Steve and his wife, there are around ten other parents in the core group of organisers and around 40 volunteers. There has also been strong support from local businesses.
“It will be a very community focussed event but it’s open to everybody. We’ve had some great local sponsorship from businesses around North Street.
“There will be beers from several Bristol breweries including Bristol Beer Factory, Good Chemistry, Moor Beer, Dawkins and New Bristol Brewery. The food will also be local and Rare Butchers on North Street will be supplying burgers for the barbecue.
“Hopefully the weather will be kind to us but we’ll have marquees for the live bands and there will be a tent with a silent disco. We’ll even get some hay bales to add to the festival look.
“The bar itself will be located in the sixth form common room. We just hope the sixth formers don’t get in there before we do!”
Ashton Beerfest takes place on July 9 and tickets for each session are £10 plus 50p booking fee and £5 for children attending the family session from 11am-4pm. For tickets go here.
