THE volunteers behind this year’s Tynedale Beer and Cider Festival didn’t just pull thousands of pints, but pulled out the stops to ensure the event ran as smoothly as possible after strong winds forced the opening night on Thursday to be cancelled.

Safety had to be put first when making the decision on Thursday afternoon – with strong gusts blowing through the huge marquee.

But in the spirit of the festival, which raises vast sums for charities every year, all the food that had been laid out for the sponsors on Thursday was sent to the People’s Kitchen in Newcastle.

Organised by Tynedale Lions and Tynedale RFC, which hosts the event on its grounds at Tynedale Park, Corbridge, the festival went ahead as planned on Friday evening and from noon to 11pm on Saturday, with plenty of food, drink and entertainment on offer.

Steve Hull from Tynedale RFC said an estimated 5,500 people attended over the two days, and thanks to a huge effort to let people know about Thursday’s cancellation, only 25 of the expected 1,000 festival-goers turned up.

“We took the decision at 3pm not to go ahead,” said Steve. “We had not completed everything inside the marquee. At 10am it was too dangerous to work inside and by 3pm it was still unsafe, so we knew we could not have got it ready. As much as we regret it, it was the right decision due to safety.”

Steve said people had travelled from all over the country to make it to the festival, with more than 600 making use of the camping facilities.

And of the 19,000 pints of real ale on offer, very little was left after the last beer was pulled on Saturday night. “We would probably have had to buy extra in if we had had the Thursday night,” he said.

“We had some new caterers in as well, including Angelfish from Corbridge and Greek food from Acropolis and we had the cider – 31 draught ciders in a separate bar. The gin bar was going really well and the wine, prosecco and soft drinks bars were also popular.”

Chairman of the festival committee, Ian Cave from Tynedale Lions, added: “The Friday and Saturday redeemed us. There was a really good turn out. We still got the crowds and it was really, really rewarding.”

Ian paid tribute to the hundreds of volunteers who supported the festival. “The numbers of volunteers who come back here year on year is fantastic,” he said. “With the money raised, we make such a difference to the clubs and charities and local people who see their income coming down.

“It is not just during the festival that the volunteers help, but the week before and the Sunday afterwards when we have to take everything down.”

Work will begin on next year’s festival in September and Steve put out a call for anyone interested in volunteering to get in contact via the festival’s website. “We had members from Stocksfield Cricket Club helping this year,” he said. “There is also a lot of work that goes on from September to June.

“And we couldn’t do it without the sponsors. There are all our main sponsors and all of the beer and cider sponsors. They help create the festival.”

The result saw the well-proven restorative powers of beer bringing health and happiness to everyone who turned up over the two days. With a total of 124 different ales to sample, a spirit of well-being pervaded the rugby grounds.

Beer may not be a cure-all for ailments. But it might be more effective than those Victorian tinctures that alleged to eradicate everything from scrofula, lameness and melancholia to sea sickness and biliousness.

It was impossible to sample every beer on offer, but bringing mirth and merriment to the occasion (and this reviewer) were brews like Allendale Woodcutter, Darwin Killer Bee (a delicious honey beer), Durham White Stout and the easily drinkable Maximus which cured the ache in my right knee. A decision to finish off with Orkney Skullsplitter at 8.5 per cent can sometimes be regretted, but had to be followed like an age-old tradition.

This year’s good causes were Northumberland Mind, which helps people with mental health problems; the Teenage Cancer Trust, which supports people aged between 13 and 24; and Gateway into the Community, which works with people with learning dificulties. The takings were still being counted this week, but last year, the festival raised a total of £42,000 for charity.

And on Saturday, the Stay Strong Stu rugby sevens competition took place.

Fourteen teams took part to support fund-raising efforts set up in memory of popular rugby player and farmer Stu Ridley, who died at the age of 25 in 2015 from a brain tumour.

Anyone interested in volunteering next year should go to www.tynedalebeerfestival.org.uk