Notts Centre 4th Annual Beer Festival-
South Clifton
1st to 4th May 2009
Marshals: Tom & Dallas Mead, Mick, Sam & Georgina Yeomans,
Andy, Jackie, Lauren & Scott Carlile (not forgetting Matt and Stevo)
Report and photographs by Jackie Carlile

Well it has soon come round our Annual Beer Festival. It doesn't seem five minutes since we were here last year.

We saw 69 vans in attendance this year and we could have filled it twice over but there is a limit to how much us as marshals can actually cook in one weekend!!!

The rally started with a supper of chilli and rice on Friday night with a quiz which was quite late because being as good marshals as we are we had forgotten about it!!

Saturday morning saw everyone being fed with a full english breakfast - thanks to all our chefs as we could not have done it without you. We kept thinking we had fed everyone and more people turned up - I don't think we were feeding the village as well but it seemed like it.

There was then lots of activities on the rally field with people getting their bars ready - I did a first this year and didn't go round and see any of them before the actual beer festival started.

Everyone came to the marshals vans at 3.00 p.m. and were treated to punch and the sight of all the different outfits coming up the field just makes all the hard work running the rally worth it.

The bars outclassed themselves with a wide variety this year. Everyone enjoyed the afternoon and even the children had their own "non-alcoholic" disney bar with lots of goodies.

Sunday soon came and there was a walk provided by Mick which was a little longer than last year and then everyone was treated to a full three course sunday lunch - again thanks for all the helpers.

Sunday evening was a little more relaxed - at one point we were worried that the marquees would have to be taken down as it was so windy but in the end it was fine. After flag everyone had nibbles and then a quiz. Well done to eventual winners Sarah and Kevin from Lincolnshire.

Monday morning saw the usual taking down of the marquees - this seemed to be done in such a quick time because of all the help that was received.

Well done to the winners of the best bar trophy which was the "Bedrock Bar" - Runners up were the Jai Hai Bar and in third place was the Disney Bar.

Thanks to everyone who gave the donations to their bar to the Chairman for his charities - (Portland College and Notts/Lincs Air Ambulance just in excess of £500.00 was raised over the weekend. Thank you for your generosity.

On behalf of all the marshals a big thank you for making it such an enjoyable weekend for us and from the comments received it looks like it is going to be another very full turnout for the 5th Annual Notts Beer Festival next year.