Fox and Goose launch Beer Festival at end of May
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
The Fox and Goose in Hebden Bridge is to hold its first major community event since becoming West Yorkshire's first co-operative pub.
Preparations are underway for the pub's Spring Bank Beer festival – which has been revived by popular demand, in response to requests from a large majority of the pub's 260 plus shareholders.
The festival will take place at the Fox in Heptonstall Road, from Friday, May 23 to Monday May 26, starting at noon each day. The festival will be open until 2am on Friday and Saturday, midnight on Sunday and Monday (or until supplies run out on the Monday.)
There will be more than 40 festival beers and ciders on offer from a range of real ale breweries. The event is free to get in, with a ticketed system for purchasing festival beers. Traditional pub snacks, like pie and peas, sausage rolls and sandwiches will be served at the bar.
Councillor Dave Young, a Director of the Society set up to buy and run the pub for the community, said: "We are delighted to be able to announce our first community beer festival as a co-operative, which is something we've all been very much looking forward to during the campaign to save our beloved pub.
"The beer festivals were once a highlight of the Fox and Goose calendar – and were high on the list of priorities put forward by our members. Hopefully the first festival will act as a big celebration and also a huge thank-you to everyone who's supported us along the way. While it is a weekend for real ale lovers, it is also very much a community event and we'd love to welcome as many people as possible to join us in drinking a toast to the Fox's future."
Regulars will still be able to buy the usual bottled beers, plus soft drinks, from the main bar while the festival is on.
The Fox and Goose, a traditional real ale pub, was bought by the community in March after a share offer raised £130,000 to buy the building and refurbish it. The Fox is now West Yorkshire's first co-operative pub, with 262 shareholders. A large proportion of the shareholders come from the local Calder Valley community, the rest of Calderdale and West Yorkshire – but there were also supporters from across the UK.
In the week running up to the grand re-opening, a team of volunteers worked night and day to give the pub an initial spruce-up - including the fitting of new beer pumps. The aim is to carry out other refurbishment work outside opening hours – and the pledge will always be honoured to retain the pub's traditional character.
The Fox and Goose was the second Community Asset to be registered by Calderdale Council under the new Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations 2012 act.
For further information visit foxandgoose.org