YORKSHIRE Air Ambulance will be the first to receive a charity award provided by the Addingham Beer Festival Committee after thieves stole their charity box from the local newsagents.

The festival committee has decided to make a contribution to replace the stolen funds. The collection box was stolen from Addingham Newsagents on Main Street. But newsagent Mark Preston said the community had been quick to help out when they heard of the theft.

Customers offered money, and when the beer festival organisers heard of the theft, they immediately began looking into making the charity one of the causes to benefit from this year’s event.

Organisers deemed this festival to be the ‘best ever’ with lots of positive feedback on the choice of beers and ciders provided, and in turn it raised a substantial amount of money for local charities and good causes in and around Addingham.

More than 800 people attended and in doing so the festival made a profit of £10,800. The money will be awarded once the festival committee has assessed the applications made.

Local MP Kris Hopkins, Minister for Community Pubs, attended the Saturday afternoon session where the Olicana Brewing Club held a demonstration on how to brew your own beer,.

Festival chairman Richard Hunter-Rowe said: “People travelled from far and wide to attend the festival. We had visitors from Cheshire, Leicestershire, and Wrexham which is fantastic support for a locally organised event, we hope to see new and familiar faces next year and that our festival continues to go from strength to strength.”