{"id":12820,"date":"2026-04-24T14:19:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/?p=12820"},"modified":"2026-04-24T14:19:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:19:50","slug":"old-town-beer-cider-festival-supporting-our-church-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/04\/old-town-beer-cider-festival-supporting-our-church-and-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Town Beer & Cider Festival: Supporting Our Church and Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Old Town Beer & Cider Festival has become a much-loved tradition here at Christ Church \u2014 and at its heart, it is our biggest fundraiser of the year.<\/h4>\n

While the festival is a wonderful opportunity to come together, enjoy great company, and celebrate as a community, its primary purpose is to raise essential funds that enable the ongoing work of Christ Church and our Community Centre. These funds help us continue providing valuable services, outreach, and support to people across Old Town and beyond throughout the year.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the generosity of those who attend, volunteer, and support the festival, we are not only able to sustain the work of the church, but also extend that generosity further. Each year, we choose additional charities to support, sharing the impact of the festival with organisations doing vital work in our wider community.<\/p>\n

Over the past 12 years, your support has helped us contribute to a wide range of incredible causes, including Ruby\u2019s Fat Cow Fund, Swindon Women\u2019s Aid, Christian Aid, Threshold Housing Link, Swindon Food Collective, Swindon Sands, Phoenix Enterprise, Swindon Blind Association, Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership, The Veterans Charity, Hjalpande Hander, Wiltshire Tree House, Prospect Hospice, and The Kelly Foundation.<\/p>\n

Our 2026 Charity Partners<\/p>\n

Alongside supporting the ongoing mission of Christ Church, we are proud to partner with two charities for this year\u2019s festival:<\/p>\n

Swindon Town Football Club Community Foundation
At the heart of their work is a commitment to tackling inequality. They strive to ensure that children and young people are not excluded from opportunities due to financial barriers, offering access to after-school provision, holiday activities, and community-based programmes that enrich lives and build confidence.<\/p>\n

Sepsis Research FEAT
This charity is especially close to our hearts this year following our vicar, Revd Canon Simon Stevenette, becoming seriously ill with sepsis at the end of last year. Sepsis Research FEAT is dedicated to saving lives and improving outcomes for patients through world-leading research and increased awareness of this life-threatening condition.<\/p>\n

Why a Beer Festival in a Church?<\/p>\n

We\u2019re sometimes asked why we host a beer and cider festival in a church setting. Quite simply, it\u2019s about community. The festival provides a welcoming and inclusive space where people can gather, connect, and enjoy time together \u2014 all while supporting something meaningful.<\/p>\n

👉 Find out more about why we run a beer festival in our church HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

How You Can Support<\/p>\n

There are many ways to get involved and make a difference:<\/p>\n

Come along and enjoy the festival
Invite friends, family, and neighbours
Volunteer your time
Spread the word within your in person and social networks<\/p>\n

Every ticket purchased and every pint poured helps sustain the work of Christ Church and enables us to continue supporting others.<\/p>\n

We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our church family and the wider community. Together, we can make this year\u2019s festival another joyful and impactful occasion.<\/p>\n

Find out more and buy your tickets HERE<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cc-home-page"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12820"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12824,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12820\/revisions\/12824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christchurchswindon.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}