REAL ale lovers will be able to sample the finest tipples while raising money for charity at Ely’s annual beer festival next month.

The two day event is organised by the Ely and District Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) branch and will take place at The Maltings on January 11-12.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance has been chosen as the nominated charity of the event.

Dan Chinery, festival organiser, said visitors will be able to enjoy a wide range of beverages.

He said: “This year there will be a choice of more than 60 real ales and 15 ciders, as well as bottled foreign beers.

“The range of cask ales, foreign beers and ciders on offer has been chosen to reflect the diverse array of tastes and styles available and we hope there will be at least one beer to suit each customer’s palate.”

Chris Donaldson, Area Fundraising Manager for The East Anglian Air Ambulance, is thrilled about their partnership with the festival.

He said: “We’re so proud to have been chosen by this fantastic event and are really looking forward to starting 2013 in such a positive way.

“The money raised through the beer festival will go towards ensuring that our two dedicated air ambulances continue to transport our highly skilled doctors and critical care paramedics to the scenes of emergencies across Cambridgeshire and the surrounding areas.

“Donations are particularly appreciated now that we are about to enter in to a new era of night operations where we’ll soon be able to attend emergencies which occur during the hours of darkness.”

The festival will be open from 11am-10pm on Friday and 12 noon-8pm on Saturday and food is available at all sessions.

Admission is �1 per person and free for CAMRA members.

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