Harrogate's Women On Tap 2020 raises more than a £1,000 for Refuge

A virtual beer festival experience was created through a five-day schedule of online talks, live-streamed panel discussions, virtual tastings, internet gigs, and more – all designed to showcase brilliant women, highlight beer excellence, and promote equality.

Events included beer sommelier-hosted tastings, poetry readings, yoga, interviews, a brewery tour, visual art exhibitions, and some wartime-themed specials to mark 75 years since VE Day.

Founded in 2017 Women On Tap has now delivered more than 70 events and four major festivals, all showcasing women alongside top creative talent, great beer and hospitality.

Asked about the decision to carry on with plans for 2020 rather than postpone, Women On Tap CIC founder, Rachel Auty said: “We wanted to create a virtual beer festival experience to help boost community morale, playing our part in supporting positive mental health and reducing social isolation, while highlighting persistent issues and tackling inequality.

"We also realised that many are missing the pub and the social benefits of pubs and beer, and our friends in the industry are feeling a lot of pain right now. We felt we had a responsibility to continue as long as we could find a safe and beneficial way to do so, and we could."

Due to funding challenges caused by lockdown, the festival was only possible thanks to the donation of time, energy and skills by more than 40 women, alongside the Women On Tap team who were also volunteers.

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Almost all events were completely free and instead £1,270 was raised for Refuge – a domestic violence charity experiencing a high demand for their services during lockdown.

One particularly notable event on the 2020 programme was an emotionally charged ‘Post-pandemic Beer in Britain’ – a panel discussion of industry experts addressing the painful challenges faced ahead.

Rooted in Harrogate, Yorkshire, last year's Women On Tap Festival attracted sponsorship from leading UK breweries and presented 25 events over 5five days across 13 venues in four towns.

Around 650 people got involved in 2019, and visitors travelled to Harrogate from across the UK. In 2020 the virtual festival became more accessible and far-reaching than ever, with participants from across the world including Australia, Italy, and the US.

To access recordings and podcasts from the 2020 virtual festival and find out about future events visit www.womenontap.co.uk

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