On Saturday September 28th the Choko Beer Festival opened the Laurence Hall doors for
the 16th time.
We had no idea we would be blessed with such good weather for our annual beer bonanza,
particularly when considering how wet it had been in the build up to it, but the fine weather
could not have been more perfectly timed and helped to punctuate what was a hugely
enjoyable day alongside the good music, good food, good vibes and of course the good
beer.
We’ve had some really good feedback from all of those who could attend and as ever we are
left feeling hugely grateful for the tremendous support we’ve been shown.
It’s hard to emphasise just how important the role our entertainment plays in keeping the
crowd buoyant and engaged and this years music line-up was absolutely on point. The
compliments on the music and performances just keep rolling in for which all of our acts can
take credit.
Becky and the Cholsey Community Choir kicked things off for us in what we hope will
become tradition for Choko in the years ahead. We love having the choir join us, and it’s
great to see many stay on afterwards to enjoy the day with us.
To have 2022 Choko Headliners The Greenway Project perform an early afternoon set for us
felt like a bit of a pinch me moment for our humble festival, and it’s opened our eyes to what
having more energy earlier on in the day can do for the atmosphere. These guys really got
the afternoon rolling and the beer taps flowing.
We had been in discussion with the Night Herons about performing for a couple of years and
so it was nice to finally welcome them all to the Choko stage. People were very
complimentary about their blend of Jazz, Funk, Folk and Pop and they kept the energy levels
high into the late afternoon.
Another band making their debut Choko performance were Broken Colours. Travelling to us
from High Wycombe and beyond, this was a set of mostly original rock and funk tracks.
Great music for our late afternoon set and plenty of energy to take us into the early evening.
Every time DJ Ollie plays a set for us, the tent always starts filling up. Second year running
this young man has played for us, and second year he’s knocked it out the park.
We welcomed back Drew Milloy’s band The Stanley Moon Trio for our early evening set. It
had been a few years since they had last played for us and so we were thrilled to have them
back playing for us again. Always reliable, great energy, and always delivering with their
distinctive brand of music.
Concluding this years line-up were our festival headliners – The High & Mighty featuring The
Mighty Horns – what an epic set by the largest ensemble of musicians we’ve ever had on the
stage, and one that ran all the way through to closing time. Great end to a great day of
music.
Dan Mayer, once again our host, compere, and guru of sound and stage – so many bands to
manage in and out this year – as ever, his efforts were greatly appreciated.
Choko would like to thank our valued sponsors without whom the festival couldn’t go ahead,
and it was great to see so many sponsors in attendance on the day. We are immensely
grateful to Cholsey Great Hall for being our cup sponsor this year and to James Gesner
Estate Agents who generously agreed to being our promotional sponsor.
Great and continued support too from Mr and Mrs Park’s Family Butchers, Amwell Springs
Brew Co., Root One, Didcot Plant Ltd, Grundon, Allmakes 4×4 – Quality, Value and
Performance, Chroma Group, Carline Creative and Haynes Car Care Centre with huge
support for our new custom stillages from MKM Building Supplies and LSW Workshop
Supplies.
We also welcomed a few new sponsors this year including TW Timberwork, Allum’s of Oxon,
Kate’s K9 Training, Cholsey Cricket Club and The Town Arms – a huge thank you to all of
you for believing in our cause.
We would also like to say a big thank you to our team of volunteers, whether helping on the
day, helping to setup before or helping to clear up after, you are the absolute lifeblood of the
festival, and such an important part of the process, thank you all for giving up your time to
help.
And to all those that attended – a massive thank you once again for your solid attitude and
generous spirit. There were some changes to the ticketing process this year with the
introduction of U18 tickets, which we did to help us better control numbers and your
understanding with this was greatly appreciated. You help make the festival a pleasure to
organise.
As regards fundraising this was a very good year, as we have managed to raise £10,000 for
our chosen charities. 60% will go to our principal charity – Go MAD in Tanzania – who were
once again in attendance on the day – to support the excellent work they’re doing to make
real differences for local communities over in Tanzania. The money they receive this year will
help pay for the midwife Choko helped to secure at the Butuguri clinic as well as a new girls
toilet facility at a local school.
The remainder of the money raised will go to The Cholsey School PTA and The Cholsey
Volunteers who both continue to do so much to help with the running of the festival and for
whom these fundraising opportunities mean so much.
The Choko Beer Festival may be a small/local community event but it is one that is so
important to our village and surrounding area and of course to our chosen charities. So
again, thank you.
As usual, a selection of images for your enjoyment herewith, courtesy of David Mould, Dan
Mayer and our team.
Until next year!!!