Spirit of the beer walk lives on for villagers

Saddleworth unofficial beer walk sets off from Churchill playing fields in Greenfield. L/R, Lisa and Wray Shepherdon, Jonny Boult. Dressed as prehistoric cave people.

MORE THAN 200 fun-loving locals braved torrential downpours to keep the memory of a legendary beer walk alive.

Headed by Justin Brown and his sister Angie, the colourful line of fancy dress entrants made an 11-mile trek across key Saddleworth villages.

The dedicated fundraising brother and sister kept memories of the beer walk alive despite the horrendous weather. And their unofficial walk was aimed at supporting Saddleworth Round Table who had to scrap their original beer walk some years ago because of problems.

A team of beer walk stalwarts made their 11-mile trek around key Saddleworth villages on Saturday.

It was the fifth year the duo had organised the gig and afterwards, Justin (47) who owns a kitchen fitting business, said: "We had an excellent turnout this year. It was particularly gratifying because the weather was appalling and sadly, that kept spectators away. But everyone had great fun."

Justin, a father-of-two from Delph, and his sister were part of a crew who operated out of a specially built "beer crate" for their village-wide ramble.

He added: "The original beer walk raised tens of thousands of pounds for local charities over the years. Saddleworth Round Table do great things giving to the community, so it was deserving we supported them.

Angie said: "We loved the beer walk and want the spirit to stay alive."