THOUSANDS of ale lovers raised a glass and said ‘cheers’ at the 26th running of the Chippenham Beer Festival.

The annual event raised £900 for St John's Ambulance, which supports the event, and Dorothy House Hospice.

Eighty beers and 20 different ciders from breweries across the UK were available for people to try during the festival, which took place on Friday and Saturday at the Olympiad Leisure Centre.

Beer of the festival – as voted by customers – was awarded to the Chippenham Craft brewery and the cider of the festival went to Mates in Minety.

Abi Newton, a member of the Chippenham Beer Festival committee, said: “It seemed to go very well, everyone seemed to have a lovely time and we had some good feedback.

“There were probably fewer people than normal but it was still really busy.

“We had about 1,700 people there and a lot of the stall holders managed to sell out. We had a cherry one from Norfolk which was a new recipe and a green beer, Sign of Spring, which is made locally.

“There were some new faces and we had some new young people but we also had people who have been there every year as they were wearing the original T-shirt.

“I think ale has become more popular for the younger generation because there’s more out there to choose from. When CAMRA started there was less to choose from but now it’s much easier to come by.”

Next year’s event will take place on April 27-28 and will once again be held in the Olympiad Leisure Centre.