REAL ALE fans have an excellent excuse to head to the pub this Christmas — it's for charity!

The Red Lion Inn at Exbourne is holding a five-day beer festival, featuring eight different West Country beers. Fifty pence from every pint sold will go to the Devon Air Ambulance and Exbourne Pre-school. The pub's first beer festival back in September raised around £1,000 for charity.

Nick Hamlyn, landlord of the Red Lion, said: 'We decided to support the air ambulance because there are so many people in the village who have used it. If you live in the country, you never know when you might need it — it really could save your life.

'We also wanted to support the pre-school because they're trying to raise money to buy a couple of hot water units as there is currently no hot water system down there, and that's something that could cause difficulties with Ofsted. They always support us, so we wanted to help them in return.'

The festival takes place between December 26 and 30, with the pub open from mid-day to midnight. All the beers will be priced at £2.50 per pint, and are served straight from the barrel, just one of the factors that has led to the inn featuring in the Good Pub Guide. Beers from Devon will feature prominently, with other ales coming from Somerset and Cornwall.

On the evenings of December 28 and 29, entertainment will be provided, courtesy of Village Idiot Productions' pub panto 'Cinerella'.