Beer set to boost campaign restoring Tangmere air control tower

A beer is in the pipeline to help restore Tangmere's airfield control tower.
Keith Kempton at Riverside BreweryKeith Kempton at Riverside Brewery
Keith Kempton at Riverside Brewery

The Tangmere Tower ale prototype was bottled this week by Riverside Brewery in Upper Beeding, with the hope of releasing the finished brew in autumn.

Once finished, it is envisaged the ale will be sold at fundraising events or directly from the brewery, with a percentage going towards funding the tower project.

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Brewery director Keith Kempton said he had done parachute drops at the airfield and he had ‘an affinity’ with the RAF, as his father did his national service there.

He said: “I’ve got some connections to Tangmere and I think the whole concept of heritage stuff and preserving history is quite important because for our children and grandchildren, it gives them a flavour of what was happening.”

Three variations of the Tangmere Tower ale are being brewed, ready for tasting in four to five weeks’ time.

It will then take until September at the earliest to create a finished product, Keith explained.

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The campaign, led by Matt Gover-Wren, now has a project team and a community interest company to look into how the tower could be made into a usable heritage space.

Supporters so far include Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Sussex Police and The University of Chichester and Matt said he first made contact with the brewery via social media.

Matt said: “This is a great opportunity to work in collaboration with a local business. We are so excited to be launching this product with the brewery, they have been so supportive of what we are trying to achieve.”

Matt is still collecting memories and pictures of the tower as evidence of its importance as a heritage site. Email [email protected] or visit the fundraising page at Justgiving.com