Customers will drink to their local’s favourite charities during a Cider Festival across five Staffordshire pubs.

Licensees at the Titanic Brewery pubs in Stoke-on-Trent, Stone and Stafford have each chosen a favourite charity to support during the festival this weekend.

Customers will be asked to support the good causes and the Potteries based brewery has agreed to match the money raised.

Landlady Cherryl Poppit of the Royal Exchange, Stone, has chosen to support a fund set up in the memory of a teenager from the town.

Joe Gilligan, a friend of a Royal Exchange employee, died last year at the age of 20 after suffering a brain tumour.

The Joe Gilligan Trust  (www.joegilligantrust.com) has been set up in honour of the former pupil of St Joseph’s College, Trent Vale, to support and raise funds for children and young adults suffering cancer.

Other charities being supported are the RNLI (the Bulls Head, Burslem), the Douglas Macmillan Hospice (the Greyhound, Hartshill Road, Newcastle), Animal Lifeline (the White Star, Stoke) and the Katharine House Hospice, Stafford (the Sun Inn, Stafford).

Tom Sinnott, of the Sun Inn, said: “I will also be taking part in a series of fund raising challenges against my co-manager Steve, such as pork pie eating, bar billiards and blind beer tasting.”

Bob Crumpton, landlord of the Bulls Head, Burslem, said: “The pub has had a long association with the RNLI and will once again raise money for this vital cause this weekend.

“Port Vale are at home to Accrington Stanley on Friday and I am hoping supporters will come in on their way to and from the match to help us become the most charitable Titanic pub.”

The festival begins on Friday night and runs throughout Saturday and Sunday. A range of craft brewed ciders will be available alongside Titanic’s range of award winning real ale.

Ends

For further information contact Dave Bott, Director, Titanic Brewery, on 01782 823447

Notes to editors:

Titanic’s full range of beer can be seen on the company’s award winning website at www.titanicbrewery.co.uk Titanic Brewery was founded in Burslem in 1985 and has grown to produce more than two million pints of fine ale every year. It is owned by Stafford born brothers Keith and Dave Bott. Keith is Chairman of SIBA, the society of independent brewers. The brewery name is in recognition of Stoke-on-Trent as the birthplace of Captain Edward Smith, Master of the ill fated Titanic ocean liner.

The Titanic fleet –

The Bulls Head, St John’s Square, Burslem

The Greyhound, George Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme

The White Star, Kingsway, Stoke

The Royal Exchange, Radford Street, Stone.

The Sun Inn, Lichfield Street, Stafford.