Greddy ticket touts slammed by charity (From Gazette Series)

Greddy ticket touts slammed by charity

TICKET touts who sold Frocester Beer Festival tickets for six-times the original price have been slammed by organisers.

Tickets for the annual event organised by Dursley Lions' Club, which took place at the weekend, appeared on e-bay and were sold for £42. The original selling price was £7 but tickets for the popular event sold out two weeks after they went on sale.

"Two tickets were sold on e-bay for £42, which I am disgusted with," said festival chairman Lion Neil Baldwin.

"As a charity event no-one should make a profit apart from the charities which we decide to donate to this year."

This year's festival was a popular as ever with 5,000 people attending, doubling the population of the village where it is held.

During the weekend guests downed 27,000 pints of 108 different real ales, from 51 breweries. In addition guests got through hundreds of bottles of wine and gallons of cider.

Yet despite the volume of alcohol consumed, organisers were pleased to announce that the event was trouble free.

"The people who come here know their drinking capacity and I think beer drinkers are more savvy about what they are doing," said Mr Baldwin.

"Experiencing new tastes conditions people to limit their drinking. Our guests go for the taste of the beer rather than trying to get blotto. It's a good-humoured event for which we thank our supporters.

"Frocester Beer Festival has become more than just a beer festival - it's become an event. Some guests travel across the world for reunions at the festival. "This year we have gone for younger breweries to try and get a more varied taste in to the festival. We have gone for smaller, local breweries and in addition it is the 20th anniversary of Uley Brewery.

"Frocester Beer Festival makes major contribution towards the £53,000 that the Lions Club of Dursley gives to charities local, national and international each year."

The Lions Club will decide in October which charities will benefit from this year's event.