One of the North-East’s biggest beer and cider festivals is set to take place this weekend at Tynedale Park in Corbridge.

The Tynedale Beer & Cider Festival, organised by Tynedale Lions Club and Tynedale Rugby Football Club to raise money for good causes, is back after a one-year hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic.

The traditional June date, which usually sees hoards of crowds flock to Tynedale Rugby Club, was moved to September following the Government roadmap out of lockdown.

It’s designed to showcase the “best beers and ciders that the region and the UK have to offer”, along with wine, food and live music.

The music line-up this year will no longer include Beth Macari, who had to pull out due to ill health.

She will be replaced by the Pretty Weeds. Other acts will include the Byker Hillbillies, Mr Bad Bob Bates, Audio Jacks, Liberty Belle, Blistered Molly, Stratosphonic, the Graduates and more. See the event website for more details.

New for this year are extended opening hours, so people can join in from 1pm on the Friday, and it will also be open on Sunday.

Indeed, Sunday will be “NHS Sunday” at the festival. The festival’s website says: “To reward and celebrate our region’s NHS workers this festival, we have declared the final day of the event to be NHS Sunday.

“On this special day, 500 NHS staff will be able to come along for free, our way of saying thanks for everything that the NHS has done for the community and country in the last 18 months.”

Free tickets are available for the Sunday and are subject only to a £1 booking free. NHS ID cards must be shown.

The festival started in 2002. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, growing in size and popularity and raising over £450,000 for many local and national charities.