February 2024. The 33rd Bent and Bongs Beer Bash. The total raised before the start of the festival was £494,876. Would the 2024 event take this total beyond the magic half million?
Before we answer that, here are some of the charities and good causes that this money went to in 2024.
The Green Grass Centre
The Green Grass Centre was created to lift the spirits and improve life skills of the local community in Hag Fold and Atherton.
The BBCT helped to fund the centre’s ‘Home from Home’ initiative. This helps children from local schools with their homework, organizes group activities, and most importantly provides these children with a healthy meal.
Ellesmere Explorer Scouts (Part 1)
The Ellesmere Explorer Scouts were fundraising for a whole bunch of new equipment. Funds raised by the beer festival bought 5 new tents for the scouts to help them explore more and further.
The Parish Church Clock
The BBCT allocated some of the beer festival funds to help fix the clock on the Atherton Parish church. This was a joint effort including local councillors, the Atherton Business Partnership, the Bent and Bongs Charitable Trust, and the Church of England. Parish church clocks it seems are expensive to repair when they break. Happily the clock is now ticking again.
Daisy Hill Cricket Club
Daisy Hill Cricket Club have been renovating their clubhouse. The results look good. They also serve a mighty fine pint. It is no coincidence that there is input from the beer festival beer people. Bob along if you live close and fancy a swift half or two.
The club was fundraising to make outside improvements so that these areas can be used for community activities. The BBCT helped this with a contribution.
Dorset Road Community Centre
The Dorset Road Community Centre had a shortfall with their funding for a new, energy efficient, heating and air conditioning system. The BBCT allocated some funds from the beer festival to help close the funding gap so that Dorset Road users would be cool in the summer and more importantly warm in the winter.
Ellesmere Explorer Scouts (Part 2)
The Explorer Scouts were fundraising for a new minibus. This is clearly a significant purchase for any organisation. The BBCT helped the scouts with a donation towards this purchase.
The trustees also want to send a huge thanks to the Explorer Scouts for their help installing the festival flooring on a Tuesday night and their help taking everything down on a Sunday and packing it away in storage ready for next year.
Atherton Carnival
The BBCT helped finance the Atherton Carnival. The Atherton Carnival is a fantastic community event and the trust is always happy to help fund these local community activities.
Atherton Proms
The trust help to finance the Atherton Proms in the Park event.
As perhaps too much detail the trust covered the cost of the toilets for this event; an area in which the beer festival seems to have more than average expertise.
Tyldesley Brass Band
The Tyldesley Brass Band qualified for a national brass band competition; the first such qualification in their history. They needed help raising the funds to be able to travel to the national finals. The trust helped with this.
The Tyldesley Brass Band and the beer festival have a long history together. The band has played for the queue in the days of the large queues at the Formby Hall. They also gave a fantastic performance on the floor of the 2024 beer bash. YMCA never sounded so good.
Rivington Brass Band
Rivington Brass Band’s band room is in a bit of a state. The boiler doesn’t work, and the gas and electrics have been problematic. The band asked the trust if they could help fund some of the renovations. The trust thought this was a worthy local cause and so was happy to help.
So Did You? (Make It Past The Magic Half Million)
That would be a Yes.
The total on the banner for the 2025 festival will be starting with a 5 and it’s all thanks to you. The sponsors who support the event, the folks folks who volunteer their time to run it, and of course everyone who turns out on a cold midwinter night to come to the festival. You’re all brilliant.