REAL ale and dray horses will be among the attractions at Bradford on Avon Rugby Club when it holds its first Beer Festival at the new clubhouse in Winsley next month.

Irish band The Free Spirit will perform at the event as well as two modern bands, Sultana and Resonance.

Wadworth dray horses will complete the brewing theme when they arrive from their Devizes home to join in the fun on May 15.

At least 20 real ales, plus several makes of cider and perry, will be on sale.

The rugby club fixtures' secretary Karen Wilson said: "This is the first time we have done this sort of event so we've no idea how it will go but it's the sort of thing that should bring in lots of real ale fans. We wanted to get a bit of revenue for the club to keep us going through the closed season."

Organisers are planning which beers will be on the list with the help of CAMRA the Campaign for Real Ale but it is expected that most drinks will be from local breweries.

There will be three sessions to the festival: Friday May 14, 6pm-11pm, Saturday May 15, 12noon-4pm, 6pm-11pm.