The Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival has collaborated with local charity, Snooker4All, to celebrate South Yorkshire’s renowned grassroots snooker culture.
Matthew Ridsdale, part of the event’s media team, said: “We wanted to tap into the love for snooker that there is in South Yorkshire, and we thought this is a great way of paying homage to the city.
“We’ve had some great music this year and the snooker experience has been something I’ve never seen anything quite like at the festival before, and it’s absolutely fantastic.”
The festival was first introduced in 1992 as a fundraiser for Oakwood and has since become one of the largest indoor beer festivals in the UK with £150,000 raised for local charities across the last 34 years.
Mr Ridsdale said: “An event like this is all about giving back.
“What makes Rotherham unique is the people, and you won’t find an atmosphere like you get in the Rotherham festival, anywhere else in the country.”
From Wednesday 22nd April to Saturday 25th April this year, it’s estimated that over 150 beers were on selection ranging from local real ales, craft beers and a selection of ciders, wines and gin.
Mr Ridsdale said: “Sheffield has established itself as one of the best brewing cities in the UK, which has a positive effect on festivals like this one where you want to showcase what we have to offer.
“Whether you’re a seasoned ale drinker or whether you’ve never been to a beer festival before, we want to provide something for everybody and create a really good experience.”
Rotherham-based charity, Snooker4All, promotes inclusivity and encourages more people to take up snooker with disabled players attending the festival on Wednesday night.
Mr Ridsdale said: “It was a real eye-opener just to see how impressive they were behind a cue.”
The festival aims to provide a platform for local artists to showcase their talent with 14 Musical acts performing this year.
Mr Ridsdale said: “When the bands come on and perform, the main hall gets packed out and completely changes the atmosphere of the festival.”
Liam O’ Sullivan, a volunteer at the event, said: “It’s not work, it’s fun.
“It’s a lovely sociable atmosphere and the volunteers are here because they want to be here, and everybody gets along.
“It’s just like one big, happy family.”