Oktoberfest Event Returns With Great Success

The event, which took place on 7 October at Wylam Brewery, marked four years since the last edition of Oktoberfest.  Guests enjoyed brilliant German food, drink and music and participated in a raffle and silent auction with prizes such as a rooftop spa experience at Rudding Park, Harrogate, and a signed Alan Shearer football shirt available.  The event received excellent support from the north east business community and had an attendance of over 320 people.  All proceeds from the evening went to local charities, Newcastle United Foundation and Headway Tyneside.

The event was the first major Ryder event that took place post pandemic.  Despite the uncertainty regarding events, the total raised was an amazing £11,000 – a 25 percent increase in funds raised from 2017’s successful Oktoberfest.

Following the event, James Lowdon, business development coordinator at Ryder said, “The event was a huge success and everyone at Ryder is very grateful for the support received.  I would like to thank everyone, particularly Hydrock and Ward Hadaway, who helped us raise a fantastic amount of £11,000 split between two brilliant charities, Newcastle United Foundation and Headway Tyneside.  Both charities play a huge part in giving back to the local community and we are very proud to have supported them.”

Ran by a voluntary committee and a community development officer, Headway Tyneside work with people affected by brain injury to develop services and raise awareness of brain injury throughout the community.

Using the city and region’s passion for football, Newcastle United Foundation are improving the lives of more than 66,000 people in the local community across their football, school and community programmes.

Alistair McDonald, business development manager for the built environment at Ward Hadaway and voluntary chair of Headway Tyneside said, “Ward Hadaway are delighted to have been involved in such a fantastic event which has raised so much money for two fantastic local charities.  A special thanks to Ryder for allowing us to be part of such a worthwhile and enjoyable night.  I would also like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in what was a brilliant night for Headway Tyneside.  The funds raised will make a massive difference to our organisation as we get back to delivering much needed community support to people with brain injury across Tyneside.”

Chris Chennell, director at Hydrock in Newcastle said, “As a business committed to being a force for good, it’s important to us to make a positive contribution to the local communities we operate in.  We are just establishing our presence in Newcastle, so we’ve been really delighted to be involved in Ryder’s fantastic Oktoberfest event and help support two important local charities in Newcastle United Foundation and Headway Tyneside.”

Steve Beharall, head of Newcastle United Foundation, said, “The sum raised on the night will change lives across our region through education, physical and mental wellbeing activities, personal development opportunities, and more, and we cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity and for making this possible.  The continued support from Ryder over the years for our charity has been phenomenal and we couldn’t do what we do in the community without them.”