The organisers of this year's Eastleigh Beer Festival have gone further than ever before in their selection of beers for customers to sample. Two beers from Britain's most northerly brewery, Valhalla in the Shetlands, will be joined by beers from Orkney and the Irish Republic.

Local breweries will not be neglected, with beers from Cheriton, Hampshire, Oakleaf and Portchester in Hampshire and from Hop Back and Stonehenge from Wiltshire.

It's not only the beers that will travel a long way. Following the annual conker knockout competition on Saturday lunchtime, there will be an international challenge match between local conkers and conkers that have been specially collected in Germany and the Czech Republic.

The 2002 Eastleigh Beer Festival will take place on Friday & Saturday, the 1st & 2nd November, at the Nightingale Centre, Nightingale Road. There will be lunchtime and evening sessions on both days. There is musical entertainment on Friday evening will come from Celtic folk band Heelstone, while on Saturday Martin Osborn, a blues singer/songwriter will be on stage.

The event is organised by the Southern Hampshire branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. For ticket details contact Ian Black on 023 8077 8906 or www.shantscamra.org.uk/ebf2002/.