Beer festival will go ahead in old Shrewsbury church
A beer festival will be allowed to go ahead this summer in a redundant Shrewsbury church despite threats to boycott it.
Concerns had been raised about plans to hold the Shrewsbury & West Shropshire Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) Festival at The Church of St Mary the Virgin in July.
Despite a number of people speaking against the plans at a public meeting last week, the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) has decided to proceed with the festival.
It said that after careful consideration, bosses have decided to go ahead with the event, with additional safety measures to protect the fabric of the building.
CCT head of region north, Judith Patrick, said: “At the public meeting there was a general support from the community regarding involvement and engagement within St Mary’s.
"We welcome this and any additional support in raising vital funds for the ongoing repairs and maintenance costs.”
Trialled
About £400,000 needs to be raised to keep St Mary’s open to the public and Judith said events like the beer festival are an ideal way to raise funds.
But former steward at the church, David John, told the public meeting he would be forced to boycott the festival if the CCT allows it to take place in the consecrated building.
The event will be trialled for one year and organisers will meet the CCT conservation specialist ahead of the festival.
Norrie Porter, from Shrewsbury's branch of Camra, said the group is delighted with the decision.
“It’s wonderful news that the Shrewsbury Camra beer festival can go ahead at St Mary’s," he said.
"It is a beautiful building in an ideal location and it will be great to bring new people from Shrewsbury and beyond into the church. I’m really looking forward to the festival being there and so are our many volunteers.”
About 2,000 people are expected to attend the festival to sample a range of real ales from across the country.
