A BEER festival which is a key fundraiser for a Thornbury church proved a huge hit.

The 14th annual Thornbury Beer Festival, held at Christ the King church in Thornbury, helped raise nearly £3,000 which will go towards the maintenance costs of the church.

Sixteen real ales from Wickwar and four different ciders drew in large crowds who couldn’t help but tuck in to some of the food on offer as well.

The Friday proved particularly popular as crowds squeezed in and wolfed down all the food before the end of the day.

The beer festival was initially suggested by a former priest at the church who brought the idea down with him from a previous church he worked at.

Now in its 14th year, the beer festival is the largest fundraiser for the church – raising £2,978 this year.

Lesley Morrissey, who helped organise the event, said: “We raised more than we had for several years this time around.

“This year we brought in four ciders along with 16 different beers from Wickwar which proved really popular with everyone.

“The beer festival was absolutely packed, especially on the Friday, and I think everyone who visited had a really good time."

This year's Thornbury Beer Festival was held on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25.