The theme for this year's Braintree Real Ale Festival is "A Trip Along The Thames", with beers sourced from along the path of the river from its source in the Cotswolds to its mouth near Southend.

The event gets underway at the Bocking Arts Theatre (formally the Braintree Insitute) on Thursday, 15 June, and runs until Saturday.

Jointly organised by the Braintree Lions Club and North West Essex Camra, the first Braintree Real Ale Festival took place in 2005 in a marquee in Weavers Park and has grown each year since moving to Braintree Institute (now Bocking Arts Theatre).

It is now a well-established annual event in the town, with many pubs around the district also putting on real ale events to coincide with the festival.

Proceeds from this year's festival will be donated to Prostate Cancer and DeafBlind UK, plus other local charities.

The festival opens from noon to 11pm on Thursday and Friday and from 11am-10pm on Saturday. For more information about the Braintree Real Ale Festival visit the website.