If you have wandered down Crown Street recently it will have been difficult to miss the brilliant Bass red paintwork on the Old Fire Station doors along with fresh panes of glass, now aptly named Joule’s Fire Station, along with the addition of traditional green Joule’s signage in pride of place on all four sides of the hose drying tower.  With work on Crown Wharf in Stone well underway, Joule’s Brewery has signed up as lead sponsor for the Stone Food & Drink Festival for the next two years.

The partnership will see Joule’s support the annual not-for-profit event in return for joint branding and a strong on-site presence at the 2019 and 2020 festivals. It is something of a homecoming for the famous ‘Joule’s’ trademark, the 6th oldest beer trademark in the world – the brewery was originally established in 1780 and was one of the town’s major employers up until 1974, when Bass acquired the brewery and production moved to Burton-upon-Trent.

The Joule’s brand was resurrected in 2010 as an independent brewery on a site behind an original Joule’s pub, the Red Lion, in Market Drayton, and now has 45 pubs across Staffordshire, Shropshire & Cheshire. Joule’s much-anticipated return to Stone will come to fruition in 2020 as the new Crown Wharf taphouse opens its doors as part of a wider £2m project that includes plans for a community heritage centre and theatre.

Vicky Shirley, Brand & Communications Manager at Joule’s, says:

“The Crown Wharf project is very close to our hearts as it’s effectively taking the Joule’s brand back to where it all began. We’ve been involved with the Stone Food & Drink Festival for the past for years and we’ve always been impressed with the vibrancy and atmosphere of the event. It’s a perfect opportunity for us to spread the word about what’s happening at Crown Wharf and we’re proud to be associated with a community-led event.”

Richard Stevens, Chairman of the Stone Food & Drink Festival, says:

“We’re delighted that Joule’s has chosen to come on board as lead sponsor, and we’re hugely excited about the development at Crown Wharf. It’s a fantastic project that will help bring visitors into town year-round, which is what the festival itself is all about, so the synergy is fantastic.”

The 2019 Stone Food & Drink Festival will take place on Friday 4, Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 October – for more details and to sign up for e-newsletter updates, visit www.stonefooddrink.org.uk. To keep up to date with all things Joule’s and Crown Wharf, head over to their Facebook page to https://www.facebook.com/joulescrownwharf/