Over August Bank Holiday - 24th/25th August, Hinckley RFC will be hosting the 2nd annual Hinckley Sausage and Cider Festival. As was the case last year, this will be a key fundraiser for the club. We need your help to get the word out and about in Hinckley please so we get plenty of folk walking up the Leicester Road.

This year we will be moving round the corner, off the car park and onto the grass. There'll be more toilets, more staff, no tokens and no queues. People can bring with picnic rugs, camping chairs and sun shades - anything that makes them feel comfy, although not dogs I'm afraid nor their own booze! Fingers crossed that this weather lasts through to August and we get another corker! We want to make this an annual event, held every year on the August Bank Holiday.

As those who came last year know, the festival is a mix of live music, real ciders made by artisan producers in the UK and gourmet sausages made by Brown's Gourmet Sausages of Wollaston. There will be at least 30 different real ciders, including ciders made in and around Leicestershire, and 20 varieties of gourmet sausage. There will be live music on both days which will start in the early afternoon on Saturday.

The headline act on Saturday is 3rd Degree LeBurn, a three piece band which is fronted by renowned international guitarist Leburn Maddox, who has shared stages with the likes of Blondie, Shaka Khan, Joss Stone, Lionel Richie and Kool and the Gang. They play a mix of blues, rock and reggae. Here is a link to the band playing one of their own songs - Seven Day Kiss.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/3rd-Degree-LeBurn/28646877963?id=28646877963&sk=app_2405167945

On Sunday, Spank, who you may remember played at the spring beer festival, will return with their inimitable, hard hitting style of rhythm and blues. Here they are playing Babysitter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOnulQHKsjs&feature=youtu.be

The festival is being put on by the Sausage and Cider Festival Company, which is a social enterprise set up specifically to help rugby clubs raise money to pay for grassroots sport. The club receives a share of the gate money and all the profits from our own fundraising activity and our own bar. Entry is £3 for adults. U18s are free.

As a host club, it is vital we do everything we can to make the festival a success. Please try to support the event. It is a huge opportunity for us and promises to be a great weekend. Please tell your friends about it. You can invite them via Facebook by going here:

http://www.facebook.com/events/201349156655595/

Or you can tell them about it and encourage them to come. Or you could email the attached flyer around your social and business networks.We also have printed posters and leaflets which you are welcome to collect from the club in order put up at work, your local etc.

We will be putting on some attractions to help occupy the kids and we also hope to offer camping this year as a further way of raising money for the club. Anything you can do - no matter how small - to help will be much appreciated. Let's make this year's festival even better than last and something of which everyone involved in Hinckley RFC can be proud.