Organisers of this year's Norwich City of Ale festival are planning a number of ticketed bus tours to city pubs as part of the event.

The tours would use the City of Ale bus, part of the Eastern Transport Collection, and would visit around five or six pubs with beer, food and possibly a tour guide included in the price.

There would be no timetable, but there would be an itinerary with a timed pick-up and finish point. There would be about half an hour in each pub making the tour around three hours long.

Dawn Leeder, co-chairman of Norwich City of Ale, said: 'We're very keen to use the City of Ale bus as much as possible. It is such a head-turner and a great ambassador for City of Ale in its own right. What could be nicer than a vintage bus tour around a selection of welcoming pubs with a taste of fine local ale in each? We think these tours will prove very popular with both Norwich residents and visitors from further afield.'

Festival organisers have also launched a fortnightly email newsletter featuring news items on pubs, breweries and beers, a beer writer's slot, competitions and prizes, which will go out to journalists, beer writers and bloggers, the trade and real ale lovers everywhere. Last week, the Norwich Evening News revealed that the festival had received £5,000 from Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) to help sell it to a national audience of real ale lovers. Norwich City of Ale runs from May 23 to June 2, and is a celebration of local pubs serving local real ales made by local brewers.

The event fits in with the Norwich Evening News' Love Your Local campaign, which aims to get people back into pubs. The next open meeting of Norwich City of Ale is on Monday, March 18, at 10am at the Rose Inn, Queens Road.

To see more stories from the Love Your Local campaign, see www.eveningnews 24.co.uk/ loveyourlocal

Got a pub story? Call David Bale on 01603 772427 or email david.bale2@archant.co.uk