The countdown has begun to the UK's biggest ever cask beer festival with pubs throughout the region busy stacking their cellars with real ales and beers in a bid to tempt punters from across the city in to love their local.Peter Walsh and Sam Emanuel

The countdown has begun to the UK's biggest ever cask beer festival with pubs throughout the region busy stacking their cellars with real ales and beers in a bid to tempt punters from across the city in to love their local.

More than 20 pubs in and around Norwich will be taking part in National Cask Ale Week, which will run from Monday to Monday, April 13.

More than 6,000 pubs across the country will be staging events as part of the celebration of one of the nation's favourite drinks.

The Trafford Arms pub in Grove Road, Norwich, will be having an all-female ale tasting day on Wednesday as part of the week-long event.

Landlord Chris Higgins said: 'I think it's a great initiative and we should make it into an annual event, which we could tie in with St George's Day.

'Cask ales are a really important part of our business and this sort of thing is ideal for getting people into pubs to try new things and make them more aware that pubs are good places to visit.'

Other events taking place as part of the event include National Beer Day, which pubs are calling for the Government to recognise as an official holiday, Introduce a Friend Day, and the World's Biggest Toast, where drinkers will attempt to set a world record.

Mark Thompson, landlord of The Three Horseshoes pub in Scottow, near Coltishall, said: 'At the moment with the downturn and the problems pubs are facing in the present climate, it is great to have something to get the locals involved in real ale and into the pubs.

'So many pubs are going bust in the Norwich area and it is a real hard time for publicans. I don't know if we will have many more people coming in, but hopefully we will have a few more, and those that do are likely to drink more because there are promotions like if you drink six pints you get a t-shirt.'

Mike Benner, chief executive of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said: 'This is the first time that brewers and pub groups have come together to create one massive event in honour of cask ale.

'We want to celebrate this natural, hand crafted product that is unique to pubs and remind the great British public why cask ale is our national drink. There will be events for everyone from cask ale fans to cask ale virgins.'

To find out more about the event log onto www.caskaleweek.co.uk or www.camra.org.uk and click on Cask Ale Week

The Evening News' Love Your Local campaign, which was launched earlier this year, has called on people to support their local.

For more pub stories, visit the Love Your Local campaign section of our website at www.eveningnews24.co.uk

Are you doing anything special for cask ale week or have you got a pub story? Call Sam Emanuel on 01603 772438 or email sam.emanuel@archant.co.uk

Pubs participating in National Cask Ale Week include:

The Surrey Tavern, Surrey Street, Norwich

The Trafford Arms, Grove Road, Norwich

The Crown, Ollands Road, Reepham

The Three Horse Shoes, Scottow

The Black Boys, Market Place, Aylsham

The Greyhound Inn, The Green, Hickling

The New Rising Sun, Wroxham Road, Coltishall

The Kings Head Hotel, Station Road, Hoveton

The Huntsman, Norwich Road, Strumpshaw

The Ram Inn, The Street, Brundall

The Dove, Bungay Road, Poringland

The Mill Inn, Ipswich Road, Saxlingham Thorpe

The Windmill, Norwich Road, Wymondham

The Three Boars, Spooner Row, Wymondham

The Nelson, Nelson Street, Norwich

The Brickmakers, Sprowston Road, Norwich

The Cellar House, Eaton, Norwich

The Fiveways, Gipsy Lane, Norwich

The Bull, Reepham Road, Norwich

The Queens Head, Norwich Road, Hethersett

The Artichoke, Yarmouth Road, Broome