Oxfam stewarding

[M_Il]

I have received my confirmation email and much to my surprise I've been given pre festival shifts with all my shifts finishing before the gates open to the public. I just want the heads up is this likely to be still any time of day/night shifts or is it just day shifts before the festival starts?

[incident]

Yes, you could still potentially be working nights - the last shift covered by the "pre festival" crew is 10pm to 6am Tues Night / Wednesday morning.

I think, anecdotally, that the pre-festival shifts have a slightly lower percentage of night time staff needed, but it's still luck of the draw as to what you personally get in the end.

[M_Il]

Well tbh I don't mind after applying for stewarding after the resale to go on the waiting list to now being in the pre festival group I think is quite lucky enough. Just really didn't expect it

[DeadAmos]

Congrats on the pre shift

Also all your shifts will be the same time, so you could end up with 3 mornings

 

Edited June 4, 2016 by DeadAmos

[incident]

Yeah, sounds like that's a pretty good result. The two things I'd suggest is to take a book or something to keep you occupied for when you're not working, and possibly some food.

The Oxfam Crew Catering is pretty good quality and value and should be open some time Saturday, but the public stalls in the main markets will open later - a handful on Monday evening, and then some more on Tuesday afternoon / evening. You won't have the variety you're used to from the Festival for the first few days so you may wish to bring your own.

It's great to see the site before gates open, but remember that during the day especially people are busy trying to get their part of the site set up and there's not much going on. When you're not on shift, you may find that you've got multiple hours to kill with nothing to do so a way of passing time would be a good idea. Bars tend to kick into life in the evenings, once people have done what they need to for the day - just follow the noise to find them.

[M_Il]

Thank you for the advice

[glasto-worker]

29 minutes ago, M_Il said:

Thank you for the advice

and you can wander into the Interstage area just by showing you GFL Crew wrist band but only up to when the gates open to the public - not much to see but the BBC area can be interesting and you will be able to get shots of the back of the Pyramid just to wind your friends up.its a shame I cant get a Cat sitter because I could get down at Glastonbury on Monday 13th of June - its the WBC advance guard - so will have to wait until Tuesday 21 June - still its better than nothing.

have a good time.

[M_Il]

33 minutes ago, glasto-worker said:

and you can wander into the Interstage area just by showing you GFL Crew wrist band but only up to when the gates open to the public - not much to see but the BBC area can be interesting and you will be able to get shots of the back of the Pyramid just to wind your friends up.its a shame I cant get a Cat sitter because I could get down at Glastonbury on Monday 13th of June - its the WBC advance guard - so will have to wait until Tuesday 21 June - still its better than nothing.

have a good time.

Will have to do this then at some stage. How do they decide who is working and when on the stewarding side  I'm asking as I see you have many years experience so you may know. I thought if you are a returning steward you were more likely to get the favourable shift times

[glasto-worker]

52 minutes ago, M_Il said:

Will have to do this then at some stage. How do they decide who is working and when on the stewarding side  I'm asking as I see you have many years experience so you may know. I thought if you are a returning steward you were more likely to get the favourable shift times

Would not have a clue as I am with the WBC [ they run many of the bars } - best not to think about it as after all you are getting a far better deal than many so you wont miss anything when it starts.With my long service I can pick my own shifts but I will always work late Tuesday and Sunday night as that will be the two really busy nights. I dont have to work them but I know I am needed.

[dondo]

I'll be on site with the recycling crew from the Sunday beforehand and working Monday to Thursday.  Be 1st time I have been on site before the gates open so am looking forward to getting a different perspective on the festival as previously worked the Friday to Monday.

[wandering hippy]

I'm new with recycling from Sunday before as well. Apparently I should get a blue route pass to get in ? Does  anyone know what this looks like ? Not sure if I've got it already or have to request it ?

[dondo]

3 hours ago, wandering hippy said:

I'm new with recycling from Sunday before as well. Apparently I should get a blue route pass to get in ? Does  anyone know what this looks like ? Not sure if I've got it already or have to request it ?

I think that it relates to the car park pass you get- it's a different one from the ordinary public one- think gets you parked a bit nearer to gate etc. But think it maybe purple route you need according to website

" All Recycling Crew use Purple Route to get here (see signs as you approach site) on the east side of the site, and park in Purple Car Park. Then you enter site via Blue Gate (PGB) (see map online) which is near Tom’s Field. Make sure you have requested a car pass online. "

Should come with your letter from Fiona (which I haven't got yet)

Edited June 6, 2016 by dondo

[fewcloudy]

Hi incident and others.

I got my Oxfam email and it says my 1st shift is Sat 18th at 8am. I'm ok with that, but it doesn't tell me the other shift times. Should it?

thanks

fc

[incident]

To be honest, I don't know.

My understanding of the Oxfam procedures is slightly different to that - I've not previously heard of them telling people any specific shift details until they arrive on site and register. I guess if your first shift is so early they might make an exception - but Saturday 8am is early even by early shift standards - I believe that for most early crew it's arrive on Saturday  with the actual shifts taking place on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

It might be worth double checking the exact wording on the E-Mail - is 8am definitely a shift start time, or is it an arrival/registration time, or is it when the on-site briefing starts - in most circumstances you won't be allowed to start a shift without having had the on-site briefing which takes about an hour but again I'm not sure if that could be different for such an early start.

If you're still unsure, then the Oxfam Stewards group on Facebook is probably a good place to ask, there'll be people on there who know a lot more than I do.

[fewcloudy]

Thanks for getting back to me. I've stewarded for Oxfam a few times now and it's always been like you say - shifts on arrival. But email below;

"I am pleased to attach your festival information for Glastonbury 2016. You have been allocated an early arrival shift which means you need to ensure you get to site before the rest of the Pre-Festival shift, and you will begin your first shift before the regular briefings.

The time of your first shift is: SA1 Saturday 18/06/2016 07:45 - 16:00"

That's fine with me, just wouldn't like to hang about for next 3-4 days with nothing to do!

fc

[incident]

Yep, that sounds fairly definitive. Sounds like you're definitely going to have to find something to kill time to be honest.

[DeadAmos]

I might be wrong but as I see it , you will be registering the pre festival shift Saturday

Sunday off

and then registering "normal" stewards Monday and Tuesday

and if I remember the caterers don't start while Monday (but I could be wrong)

 

[fewcloudy]

Thanks, well here's hoping. It would be nice not to have all my free time happen when there isn't a lot to do. So if it works out like you think it might then I should be able to see a lot more of Glastonbury hopefully.