A POPULAR community beer festival is in full swing with pints and pies being consumer in the name of charity.

Today is the second day of Coptoberfest which is being held in St Giles Church in Copmanthorpe, raising funds for charities and voluntary groups in the area.,

To round off the two-day annual fixture, there will be live music tonight at 9pm, with last orders being taken at 11pm.

Andy Herrington, of Ainsty Ales Brewery, York, organises the event with the Rev Geoff Munford, and it has gone from strength to strength since its launch.

Andy said custom had been steady from 2pm on Friday, getting busier towards the evening, and again today.

"Some of the beer started to empty on Friday night. It was a really nice atmosphere. A lot of people were saying what a nice community festival it was. There were no issues or trouble. I think people really respect that it is in a church and not a marquee or community hall. I was really pleased."

Copmanthorpe Community Choir enjoyed a 20-minute appearance today as part of the event, with festival-goers lamenting that their performance was over too soon.

"It is a great event and the most important thing is that it is going without any trouble and that Geoff is pleased," said Andy.

A highlight of the festival are the pies, supplied by Lee Bell, of Ged Bell Butchers.

"He provides all the nice steak pies at cost and we make a lot of money from them," said Andy. "We will probably get through about 100 pies over the weekend."

Karen Buckley, of Copmanthorpe-based The Little Balloon Company, also supplied an eye-catching display for the event.

The event has raised just over £18,000 since it was first launched.