THE 39th annual Farnham Beerex, held last April at Farnham Maltings, has raised a record £38,042 for good causes in the Farnham area.

This year’s event opened in a blaze of wonderful weather ensuring a great Thursday night was had by all. With all the beers available on tap and many new ales available, the atmosphere was guaranteed by a fully participating crowd of 1,300.

Opened by the then-Mayor of Farnham, Jeremy Ricketts, this year’s first night created something of a record. For many years the Thursday evening session had been the ‘Cinderella’ of the event, not reaching sell-out status for sometime. But with new breweries, new beers, St George’s Day and wonderful sunshine a record attendance was a certainty.

Live music and a full barbecue all helped the consumption of ales to go beyond the 20,500 pint mark with over a further 2,000-plus pints of cider.

Geoff Jeal, of the Farnham Lions, said: “This sort of popularity ensures Farnham Beerex continues its reputation of being a unique social event and the longest running festival to be held in the same venue anywhere in the UK.

“The results were a record £38,042 raised for Lions’ charitable purposes, the vast majority of which goes to help those in our local community.”

Next year’s Farnham Beerex, the 40th, will be held from April 21 to 23. The public sale of tickets is at 8am on Sunday, February 28 at Farnham Maltings with large queues again anticipated.