festival as part of a national newspaper and overheard the exchange.

 

He said: “I’d not been at the festival long when I spotted this guy dressed as an explorer. Quite a few people were already looking at him because of his unusual outfit.

 

“He was just stood staring through his binoculars for ages, no one was quite sure what he was looking at. Then he started shouting about how disappointed he was. Some passing stewards stopped to ask why and he pointed at the Exotic Grill food stall and said something like ‘I was hoping for exotic girls, damn my dyslexia.’

 

“No one around laughed or really seemed to know what to say back to that. It was a bit awkward. I’m pretty sure one of the volunteers he spoke to was a woman, too.”

 

It later emerged that the man was a volunteer at the festival.

 

ALES & FEMALES informed CAMRA about the incident and asked if the volunteers were briefed in how to behave towards members of the public, and whether they thought this behaviour was good for CAMRA’s image.

 

Communications assistant Ayo Kila said: "All activities performed under CAMRA's name needs to comply with CAMRA's Equal Opportunities Policy, i.e. to treat everyone fairly regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, race. ethnic or social/economic background.

 

"With many thousands of volunteers giving up their time to work at hundreds of beer festivals across the country, with potentially tens of thousands of interactions, it's impossible to guarantee there will never be an incident which causes offence.

 

"But if the volunteer involved can be identified and we are made aware of the issue, the incident will be investigated and action taken."

 

About the incident, she said: “CAMRA do not condone that behaviour.”

 

ALES & FEMALES is waiting to see whether any action has been taken against the volunteer.

 

The GBBF has been using its Twitter account to encourage the use of the hashtag #ThankAVolunteer during the five-day festival. On Wednesday evening, it tweeted an image of a man in an explorer suit, believed to be the same volunteer.

 

In previous years, women have complained about experiencing patronising or offensive behaviour from volunteers at beer festivals, including a group of women who were allegedly asked to lift up their arms to verify whether they were lesbians.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED STORY: 15 August 2015

 

Controversial behaviour carried on outside of the festival doors.

 

Many revellers were in high spirits as they made their way home from the venue after spending the day drinking.

 

On board one train heading to Clapham Junction, a man started singing a made-up song with lyrics centred around the theme of women at home waiting for their husbands to return to ask them 'where have you been?''

 

A woman objected to the man's song as she left the train, telling him it was "a bit sexist."

 

ALES & FEMALES caught up with the woman, who did not want to be named.

 

She said: "I just had to say something.

 

"I've had a great day at the festival all day with my daughter but then people with views like that just spoil it.

 

"What he was saying about women being at home while their husbands go out and get drunk then the women have a go at them about it is so dated and, frankly, sexist."