Traditional brewers - and drinkers - have been doing their bit to help the environment.

The Hook Norton Brewery has raised £1,000 to help a new charity to care for the surrounding countryside.

The brewery, based in the village of the same name, donated 5p from the sale of every bottle of a celebratory ale called Cotswold Lion Beer - which was launched last year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The charity, called The Friends of the Cotswolds, will raise money and allocate grants for conservation projects in the Cotswolds AONB, which was designated as a protected landscape in 1966, and covers swathes of west Oxfordshire.

The charity was officially launched, and toasted, at an event at the at which managing director James Clarke presented one of the charity's eight directors, Simon Randall, with a cheque for £1,000.

Mr Clarke said: "We take great pride in the fact the we are a steam-powered brewery using traditional methods and many locally sourced materials, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of every bottle of beer that we produce.

"We are proud of the brewery's local heritage and the fact that we are based in such a beautiful area, and we wanted to put something back.

"Helping to fund conservation projects through the sale of Cotswold Lion Beer seems to be a fitting way to signal our commitment to the local environment."

Claire Cunningham, spokesman for the Cotswolds Conservation Board, which is responsible for protecting the AONB, said: "We hope to see the Friends supporting projects within the Cotswolds, which help to conserve and enhance the area and enable people to enjoy all the benefits that it has to offer.

"The existence of a charity like this offers a great opportunity to those who feel a strong connection with the Cotswolds and would like to put something back by making a donation."