A new beer has been launched to raise money in memory of First World War poet Wilfred Owen.

Futility is being produced by Stonehouse Brewery, in Weston, near Oswestry and 5p from each pint sold will be donated to the Wilfred Owen Festival which will take place in the town later this year.

It has been named after one of the few poems published during the poet’s short life.

Shane Parr from Stonehouse Brewery said: “Futility will be a session-strength beer and brewed with a combination of French hops and a new variety of British hops.

“We really hope people get behind this. The Wilfred Owen Festival has a lot to offer visitors to Shropshire this year.”

Following the conclusion of the festival, 5p from the sale of each pint will go to the Last Post Association, which ensures the Last Post is played in the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, at 8pm every day.

Shane has a connection to the Menin Gate as his great uncle passed through it on the way to battle. He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery and is remembered in the New Zealand section of the Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium.

He added: “The Last Post at Menin Gate is a moving experience and I recommend it to anyone.”

The brewery is located less than a mile from Owen’s birthplace, Plas Wilmot on Weston Lane in Oswestry, where he lived until he was four years old.

His poems are internationally recognised for describing the horrors of the trenches and gas warfare which he experienced during service on the Western Front.

The festival, which will coincide with the centenary of his death and the centenary of Armistice Day, will take place in and around Oswestry between October 31 and November 13.

It will feature a range of events and performances, plus exhibitions, lectures, re-enactments and the unveiling of a new life-sized bronze statue of Wilfred Owen which has been commissioned by Oswestry Town Council and created by local artist Tim Turner and cast by Castle Fine Arts Foundry in Llanrhaeadr YM.

To find out more about the festival, visit www.wilfredowenoswestry2018.org.uk and for information about the Last Post Association visit www.lastpost.be

Shane added: “Futility is available only in cask for now, so look out for it in your local.

“A bottled version may come later in the year.”