ALCOHOL will be sold for the first time at this year’s Rishton Festival.

The Rishton Festival Committee have been granted a Temporary Event Notice, with the sale of alcohol between 10am and 5pm on July 6 at Norden High School.

Coun Ken Moss, who applied for the licence on behalf of the committee, said: "I've been very keen on a beer tent for some time and I urge residents to bring their tankards along to this year's festival and get into the spirit of things.

“Our theme this year is country life and it wouldn't be much of a celebration of rural living without real ale and cider."

Adrian Wilding will be selling bottles of real ale and cider from his stall in aid of Meningitis UK.

His partner, Donna Heyes, was a regular player of festival bingo but died in April this from meningitis, aged just 25. All proceeds from the stall will go towards meningitis research.

A second beer tent selling lager, bitter and wines is expected to be announced later this week. The owner of a mobile bar who attended The Great Harwood Show earlier this month has also requested to set up his tent at the festival.