Beer drinkers across the city are counting down the days to the start of the 35th Norwich beer festival, which runs from Monday, October 29 to Saturday, November 3.

Organised by the Norwich and Norfolk branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), it will again be at St Andrew's and Blackfriars' Halls.

More than 200 cask-conditioned real ales from Britain's independent brewers will be on sale, along with draught and bottled beers from continental Europe. There will be traditional ciders and perries from East Anglia, the West Country and elsewhere.

The festival is supporting the Norwich-based Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue (NORLSAR), volunteers trained in search and rescue techniques who help the police look for missing people.

Anthony Miles winning logo, which incorporates the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in its design, will be used to promote the beer festival on glasses and T-shirts.

Camra branch secretary Warren Wordsworth said: 'It will be the same format as last year and we will be hoping to get about 20,000 visitors again. One or two new Norfolk breweries will be featured and there will be beers from across the country that have not been available before.'

The Murderers pub in Timber Hill in Norwich city centre is holding its seventh beer festival from Thursday, October 25 to Sunday, November 4.

Murderers' landlord Phil Cutter said: 'Each cask ale has been specially selected to ensure that our beers are almost entirely different to those on offer at the Norwich beer festival.

'We aim to complement the 'main event'.'

The pub will be collecting donations for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Both beer festivals fit in with the Evening News' Love your Local campaign, which has supported local pubs and breweries, and urged people in the area to back them.