A DORSET brewer has pledged to support a music festival that raises money for children fighting cancer.

Hall and Woodhouse (H&W) will send 70 of its team members to apply as volunteers at Teddy Rocks Festival, when it takes place from Friday, May 3 to Sunday May 5.

The festival, which is now in its eighth year, was first held at The Greyhound pub in Blandford, which is part of the H&W family. It since moved to a bigger site at Charisworth Farm off the A354 between Winterborne Whitechurch and Blandford.

Teddy Rocks started when founder and previous employee of The Greyhound, Tom Newton, wanted to raise money for his family’s charity Teddy20, which supports children fighting cancer in the south. Following the success it’s seen since 2011, the festival has moved but The Greyhound continued to support the growing festival, running the on-site bars.

H&W will run all the bars at the festival, investing all the profits made at this year’s festival into the charity.

"It has been so wonderful to see the festival grow over the years thanks to the ongoing support of one of our local pubs.”

Jan Boyd, landlady of The Greyhound, said: “Teddy Rocks Festival is a fantastic event that we have loved being involved with since the beginning. We will still very much be a part of the event this year and in the future, but with H&W’s support, we can help take the festival to the next level.”

Festival founder Tom Newton said: “Each year we have seen huge growth in terms of footfall and in the amount of support we’ve received from our sponsors. Without the support we’ve had from The Greyhound over the years, there would simply be no event.

“We’re incredibly grateful to H&W for their involvement. With their help we can put on an even bigger festival and raise more money for some very worthy little people.”

The 2019 event will be the biggest iteration of the festival to date, with The Darkness and The Zutons headlining around 80 acts. For tickets or more information, see teddyrocks.co.uk