LOCALS and visitors have been thanked for their “incredible” support for an open air beer festival at Tarporley.

A range of 28 ales from 23 breweries were served up at the festival at The Swan, which also featured ciders and family-friendly entertainment.

The manager at The Swan, Silviu Bompa, said: “This is the third year that we have run our annual beer festival, and the support which we received from the residents of Tarporley and visitors from the surrounding area was incredible.

“Despite a real mixture of weather the buzz was fantastic, and we had to put extra seating out to accommodate everyone.

“We are sure that the beer festival at our sister pub, The Crown in Goostrey, will have the same success throughout the August Bank Holiday weekend.”

The Swan is a 16th century coaching inn, and the festival took place last weekend.

“It’s really important to us to engage with the local community, and we are planning to host more afternoon barbecues throughout the year as well as food and drink tasting days,” added Silviu.

“The feedback we have received from everyone regarding the beer festival is extremely positive, which means we can make next year even bigger and better.

“On behalf of all the staff, I would like to thank everyone who came down to support the event and made it such a success.”

A highlight of the weekend was the unveiling of the pub’s new barbecue, and guests were treated to a range of food as they sampled the beers.

Festival entertainment came in the form of local band Slingback, who performed their popular party tunes to a lively crowd on Saturday night, and solo artist David Samuel Jones, The Swan’s Breakfast Chef, who entertained the crowd with an acoustic set as well as taking song requests on the Friday and Sunday evenings.

The weekend saw the conclusion of the pub’s charity raffle, which raised a total of £315 in aid of its sponsored charity, Tarporley Cottage Hospital, with the lucky winner receiving a Methuselah of Laurent Perrier Brut champagne.