A popular village beer festival near York has been hailed as ‘a great success’ by its organisers.
The 10th annual ‘Coptoberfest’ Charity Beer Festival was held in Copmanthorpe’s St. Giles’ Church last weekend and was, for the first time, held over three evenings.
Thursday’s ‘low-key’ opening offered visitors a quieter atmosphere – with plenty of seating and no music for those who wanted to savour their beer and enjoy catching up with friends.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, made a visit to formally bless the beer and spoke to everyone warmly about the importance of community and how events such as Coptoberfest brings people together.
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He then spent time speaking with people within the Church – and even pulled a pint of ‘Aurum’ – a beer brewed by Yorkshire Heart brewery under the watchful eye of St. Giles’ Rev. Geoff Mumford.
Friday saw an ‘official’ opening by Town Crier Ben Fry as well as York Mix Radio and mascot ‘Mixie’.
From then onwards, the festival delivered what it has done for the previous nine iterations; plenty of great local ale, the ever-popular gin and fizz bar, a variety of live music and Ged Bell’s pies served with mushy peas and mint sauce.
To date, the festival has given away over £27,000 to local charities and community causes, such as St. Leonards Hospice, 1st Copmanthorpe Scout Group and Copmanthorpe ‘wombles’ – a dedicated team of volunteers who help keep the village clean and tidy.
Committee Member/Co-organiser, Sarah True said: “We’ve yet to count the takings and subtract the costs, but are confident that the profit from this year will mean we’ve achieved a total of £30,000 of charitable donations from Coptoberfest since its beginning.
“This is something that myself and the rest of the committee are incredibly proud of – and that’s down to everyone who came, drank, ate, performed and of course, volunteered”
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, added: “I enjoyed dropping in to Coptoberfest and it was lovely to meet people in the setting of St. Giles’ Church. The event offered a great opportunity to bring people together to talk and to enjoy spending time with each other, helping to build Community.”
Over the three evenings, Coptoberfest pulled pints from breweries such as York Brewery, Ainsty Ales, Yorkshire Heart, Wetherby Brewery, Brass Castle and Half Moon. Cider, from Orchards of Husthwaite was on offer, plus gin from Fairfax Distillery of Colton. To accommodate allergies and to support sensible drinking, there was also gluten free and alcohol-free options, including soft drinks.
Committee Member/Co-organiser, Andrew Stark concluded: “We’re all a bit tired but pleased with the event we’ve put on. It’s been said already but I want to reiterate the gratitude we have to our sponsors for helping us financially, and equally importantly the teams of volunteers who help us set the event up, pull beers, sell tickets, serve food – then tidy up on the following Sunday. An incredible effort.”
The Coptoberfest Committee are having a well-earned break from the organising side of things before reconvening for their traditional debrief curry which leads into drawing up a list of beneficiaries and setting the date for 2025.
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