Ilkley's first Beer Week to raise cash for fire damaged Olicanian Cricket Club

Luke Raven (left) of Ilkley Brewery and Nick McNeice (right) of Wharfedale Brewery have joined together to launch Ilkley Beer Week

The Olicanian Cricket Club in Ilkley was engulfed by a fire in August which destroyed the entire pavilion.

The community has rallied around 'the Ollies' and two breweries, Ilkley Brewery and Wharfedale Brewery, have now organised Ilkley's first Beer Week to fundraise for the club.

Ilkley Beer Week will be hosted at The Flying Duck pub on Church Street from Sunday, November 10 to Saturday, November 16.

Two of the week's events are raising money for the Olicanian Cricket Club, which was left devastated by an arson attack

-> Children left with nowhere to go for pre-school nursery after cricket club facilities burnt to groundThe week will also mark the tenth anniversary of Ilkley Brewery, which is based on Ashlands Road, and the sixth anniversary of the Flying Duck Pub, which is home to Wharfedale Brewery.

Only nine beers made in the town will be sold at the event, with each of the breweries showcasing four beers plus a ninth collaborative brew.

The Olicanian Cricket Club will benefit from two fundraising evenings in a packed line-up of events.

There will be a Fray Bentos pie night and a Q&A evening with former Leeds United, Bradford City and Middlesborough footballer John Hendrie, who is giving up his time to help.

Both tickets cost £5 each and all proceeds will go toward's the cricket club's new pavilion fund.

Jonathan Shepherd of the Wharfedale Brewery said: “We wanted to do something for the Ollies after the shocking attack on their pavilion.

"After putting our heads together with our neighbours at Ilkley Brewery, we came up with the idea of a launching an Ilkley Beer Week that would celebrate ten years since brewing returned to the town, whilst also raising some funds for a very worthy cause.

“We’re really excited about the week which, we hope, may become an annual event and we hope to raise lots of cash for the Olicanian Cricket Club’s pavilion building fund".

The team at the Olicanian Cricket Club are continuing to work to design a replacement pavilion and hope to submit a planning application to Bradford Council before Christmas.

-> 'We will rebuild' - Trustee of West Yorkshire cricket club which burnt to ground vows to rebuild facilities from the ashes