Rotherham Real Ale Festival at Magna called off

The Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival, which has been based at Magna since 2011, will not take place this year “due to a number of unforeseen circumstances”.

Long-time organiser Steve Burns said he hoped to revive the big bash at the same venue next year but this year’s had been scrapped due to “a number of unfortunate circumstances”.

These include the loss of his wife and co-organiser Janet (67) last September.

As well as supporting Steve with the festival, she was responsible for co-ordinating volunteers to run the three-day event.

Steve also said the snowy weather which hindered last year’s festival had meant it made a loss, which he had personally underwritten himself.

Neither he nor last year’s charity beneficiaries, Maples Cancer Centre, was in a position to deal with any possible loss this year, he said.

Another spanners in the works is the withdrawal of the event’s musical entertainment organiser.

Steve said he hoped involving Magna, which is a charity, as one of the possible beneficiaries next year would help to avoid the same financial risk and ensure the festival returns strongly next March.

“I discussed the situation with other members of the organising committee and we took the decision not to have it this year,” he added.

“I want to be clear it’s nothing to do with Magna and we’re working closely with them. They are a charity themselves and if we can find another charity we can get on board we will do that.”

In the mean time, Steve said he was hoping to organise two smaller ale festivals in Rotherham this year — one in June and one in November — with more details to follow.

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