Three brands of beer have been brewed, bottled and unveiled to the community in memory of the Accrington Pals.

Volunteers have unveiled a pale ale called Lest we Forget, a dark mild called Over the Top and a bitter named Lions led by Donkies at Accrington Town Hall.

All three brands have been created by Irwell Works Brewery and will be sold at the Lancashire Food Festival in Accrington on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14.

Cath Holmes, whose great uncle Walter was killed near Ypres in September 1918, said proceeds from beer sales will go towards future Pals’ projects.

Cath, a volunteer on the working committee for the Accrington Pals, said: “It is fantastic that we have had three beers made in memory of Accrington Pals. We did it to raise funding to support the various projects running between 2014 and 2018, 100 years after the First World War. The launch event for our beers in Accrington Town Hall went really well and we are looking forward to selling them and some Pals t-shirts at the food festival this month.”

More than 700 men from the Accrington area signed up and formed the Pals to fight in the First World War.

But in 1916, on the fateful first day of the Battle of the Somme, they suffered severe losses when 235 men were killed and a further 350 were wounded.

Cath added: “My dad Walter has been researching the Pals for over 20 years working with the late Bill Turner. Hopefully we have got plenty of things going on so hopefully we will have a good day at the festival. It’s a good way of raising funds to pay for some of our projects.”

Pals’ project ideas include planting poppies in the gateways to the town as well as on the grass area of the roundabout near the viaduct.

There will also be a trip to France, visiting Serre Road at on July 1, 2016 and to present Books of Honour to the Mayors of Puisieux and Bapaume.

For more information on Irwell Works Brewery visit their website www.irwellworksbrewery.co.uk or contact them on 01706 825019.