A Preston bar will celebrate International Women’s Day 2020 by championing a selection of drinks from female brewers.

PLAU in Friargate has already featured over 600 different beers during its two years of trading. The owners say the overwhelming majority of independent breweries they’ve featured have a male head brewer, so they are collaborating with WomanKind North to highlight the imbalance.

Nick Elsby from PLAU said: “With the inspiring work that WomanKind North are doing it got us thinking – how many of our beers are brewed by women?

“We managed to find a good amount of breweries who have women involved in the production process, which is very positive. But we want to shine a light on women solely responsible for a carefully crafted taste. It seems this industry is still fairly male dominated.

“International Women’s Day has a mission to champion women of all backgrounds who dare to innovate, lead, and uplift others, and we’re really proud to showcase a small part of this at PLAU.

“We’re taking the opportunity of IWD2020 to highlight the imbalance of women in the brewing and distilling industry by disproportionately stocking truly great products specifically made by women.”

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PLAU has already secured a number of beers and gins for the event.

Nick said: “One that we’re really excited to try is by Burnt Mill Brewery called Pintle. It’s a 4.3 per cent pale ale brewed by Sophie De Ronde, who is quite possibly one of the best brewers on the beer scene in the UK. 

“We’ve even managed to get hold of the very last keg of the highly successful Preston Beer Girls collaboration brew called Jeans and a Nice Hop. This was brewed by Preston’s finest female beer drinking enthusiasts with professional help from Farm Yard Ales and Chainhouse Brewing. It’s truly exceptional and we’re very excited to have it back!”

Read more: Preston Beer Girls brews special edition beer with local breweries

Various local gin distillers are also on board. Sarah Sudell from Stable Yard Distillery in Catforth is providing her new London Dry, and Lizzie Billington’s hand crafted premium small-batch Wild Fox Gin from the Lancashire countryside will also feature.

PLAU will be featuring the female brewers from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March.

As part of the collaboration, attendees at the WomanKind North event at Preston’s Ivory Tower on Saturday 7 March are being encouraged to visit PLAU to sample the selection of female-led beverages.

WomanKind North is set to put body appreciation, business inspiration, carbs, cocktails and comedy on the menu at what is being billed as the North West’s biggest female empowerment event of the year.

The event will bring together females from across the region to celebrate the power, grit and diversity of Northern women.

The line up will feature some of the North West’s most inspirational female figures including businesswomen, creatives, survivors, campaigners and forward thinkers.

The one-day event will begin with a keynote speech from Amanda Greenwood, CEO of Lancashire Women. Panel talks, hosted by BBC Radio Manchester’s L’Oreal Blackett, will then cover off everything from first-hand business acumen and entrepreneurial success stories, to body image and female sexuality and will feature leading lights from across the North including blogger and writer Rabya Lomas, entrepreneur Beth Noy and life coach Trisha Barker.

Running alongside the panel talks will be a diverse range of workshops focusing on body acceptance, sexual pleasure, overcoming imposter syndrome and how to fund your business. Creative Pop Ups will also offer monogramming sessions and vision board workshops.

The afternoon session will kick off with a cocktail reception, DJ set and glitter bar, with Ali Khan’s award-winning one woman comedy show How to Ruin Your Life featuring.

There will also be live interviews with campaigner and cancer fighter Roisin Pelan, author Katie Eastham and domestic abuse survivor Asma Begum.

Roisin said: “WomanKind North is set to be a truly extraordinary event and I am thrilled to be part of the line up. When you bring together so many strong women in one place you just know that great things will happen.

“I am excited to share my story but also be inspired, educated and empowered by the other speakers on the line up, and the attendees who will bring their own experiences to the fore. This is the first event of it’s kind in the city and it is great to see Preston being put on the map as a destination that is championing the region’s inspirational women this International Women’s Day.”

WomanKind North is the brainchild of Preston-based entrepreneurs Helen Kerray and Morgana Loze-Doyle who have made it their mission to create a stand-out event which celebrates everything that is amazing about women in the North, while providing a platform and space for females to come together to learn, share and grow.

Under the theme: Take Your Space – Make More Space – the full day festival is the first of its kind in the region and is set to become part of a series of events celebrating the power, diversity and grit of women in the city and beyond.

Helen and Morgana successfully raised £11,000 to fund the event through NatWest crowdfunding initiative Back Her Business aimed at female entrepreneurs. 

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Helen said: “We have worked tirelessly to pull together a panel of the most inspirational, interesting and kick ass speakers which offer up a true representation of the diverse range of female powerhouses in this region today.

“Every single person on the schedule has been handpicked as they truly represent what WomanKind North is all about and we know they will add real value to all of the attendees at our event.

“We want everyone who attends to leave feeling empowered – and we are certain that the women on our panel will do just that. We can’t wait to be stood in a room amongst our amazing speakers and attendees – it’s going to be an extremely powerful day.”

Tickets for WomanKind North are on sale from the WomanKind North website. £5 from each ticket sold will be going to women’s charities including Lancashire Women.

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What do you think of PLAU featuring female brewers and distillers? Will you be going to WomanKind North event? Let us know in the comments.