THE boss of a popular pub is raising a glass to the return of community events - by throwing a real ale festival for villagers.

The Village Inn in Bay Street in Fairlie is the venue will boast beers from all over the country this Friday and Saturday as owner Brian Flannigan looks to toast the approach of the end of the pandemic.

The venue's beer garden area will host the event - and the local landlord is hoping the sun shines on both days.

He said: "We want to give the village something to look forward to.

"We will have locally sourced beers and others from all around Scotland, 35 in total.

"We are also doing some nice gins, so there is hopefully something for everyone."

The festival takes place between 1pm and 9pm over both days.

Brian said it has been a tough two years trading and hopes the event will pack out the bar once more.

He said: "This is on a different scale to anything we have done for a long time.

"It has been a difficult time but we have been able to wash our face and we value all the support from customers.

"Weekly takings are down around 20 per cent on pre-pandemic, but we are hopeful that this festival will help kickstart the summer.

"To me, I think we should celebrate as a community that we are getting through the whole Covid thing - as a village we have all helped one another and looked out for one another."