BEER arrived by canal boat from Kinver to Kidderminster ready for this weekend's Beer and Cider Festival.

This year's Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) festival will celebrate 250 years of the Staffs and Worcs canal, and keeping in the spirit of the theme, three of Kinver Brewery's beers – Cutting Edge, Noble and Khyber - arrived in Kidderminster by canal boat ready for tomorrow night's (May 26) opening at Kidderminster Town Hall.

The beers were loaded in Kinver onto a Lacerta a 1935 Grand Union Canal Carrying Company craft and later arrived in Kidderminster, near to St Mary's Church. Dave and Carol Kelly, of Kinver Brewery, have previously delivered beers by sack-truck and horse drawn dray, but never before by boat.

The Wyre Forest CAMRA branch's Beer and Cider Festival runs from Thursday (May 26), and Saturday (May 28) with more than 60 beers, ciders and perries. CAMRA members have free entry and a previous session from 4pm on Thursday evening, with the doors opening to the public between 6pm and 11pm this evening, and 11am and 11pm on Friday (May 27) and Saturday (May 28).

The event on Friday and Saturday will also feature a range of entertainment and food.

Continuing the boat theme, festival organisers have chosen Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) as their charity. To raise funds for SARA visitors will be asked to donate unused beer tokens and breweriana donated by generous landlords, landladies and brewers will be on sale.