Volunteering 2023

[deepkittycaz]

4 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

(Whispers it quietly) there’s a bed there. In Tow &  Hitch. A full proper made up bed. The amount of lustful looks I’ve sent towards it: not the people in it, they can all piss off and get out of the way, no matter how gorgeous they might be - I just want a king nap in a bed in a bar at Glastonbury 🥳

Given how tired I was a lot of the festival, that sounds like the most amazing thing ever.

[Johnnyseven]

17 minutes ago, Watergirl said:

That is a factor.  This was my second year with Oxfam and i knew much better what to expect now.  Paced myself better and knew when there are no queues for showers etc.  Trying to sleep after the night shift is a killer though in that heat.  That was the toughest moment for me.  It *IS* tiring. 

I think now i've done it once i'd be better set up for if I do it again. I'll know exactly what the score is with regards to what I can expect to do/see at the fest and how much energy i'll have to do it with. I'd still rather have a ticket though.

 

18 minutes ago, amfy said:

We also got the dreaded D shift pattern! This means going on shift before the headliners on Friday for our overnight, & pretty much writing off Sunday, although we did get to see the vast majority of Elton. Only Saturday as a full day off but this follows the Fri/Sat overnight shift & with the high temperatures in Saturday it was hard to make the most of it. Still we did pack in a fair few acts. 

I'd have been quite happy with D if i'd got it, it was E I really didn't want - I didn't want to end the festival with an overnight. At least with D I could have gone out after. I put my name down on a spreadsheet somewhere saying i'd swap to D, I had loads of people call and message me looking to swap - there was no way I was giving up A for anything though.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Johnnyseven

[Jay Pee]

Was on site for nine days with Wateraid and worked the clear up. Three days of bagging up everyone's clutter. Was not as bad as I feared as not that many tents were left. Lots of drinking detritus was the main baggage.

I had an absolutely brilliant festival but nine nights in a small tent was hard going.

Biggest lolz of the clear up (and there were many) was the group of lads we approached somewhere near Park who were sat outside their tent as we tidied around them at 09:30 TUESDAY morning.

They genuinely asked us what day it was? Proper lolz

 

[Festival Sounds Podcast]

I volunteer with the students I recorded the below podcast with. While I’m not a student I like the same cost savings (ticket/meals/parking). It means I can do an extra festival every year as a customer.

We were at Worthy View which took its toll in terms of extra time but Oxfam put on lifts which saved energy at least. Honestly wouldn’t mind being posted there again. We were on B shift pattern so only missed GnR as a headliner. Oxfield food, showers and loos were excellent again.

Volunteering isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. It involves compromise but for me, also a guaranteed place at Glastonbury 2024.  Thats worth it for me

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Festival Sounds Podcast

[glast0gal]

5 minutes ago, Jay Pee said:

Was on site for nine days with Wateraid and worked the clear up. Three days of bagging up everyone's clutter. Was not as bad as I feared as not that many tents were left. Lots of drinking detritus was the main baggage.

I had an absolutely brilliant festival but nine nights in a small tent was hard going.

Biggest lolz of the clear up (and there were many) was the group of lads we approached somewhere near Park who were sat outside their tent as we tidied around them at 09:30 TUESDAY morning.

They genuinely asked us what day it was? Proper lolz

 

Strewth! Were they a group of punters? Risking asking a daft question but what actually happens to people who are still on site at that time? Does anyone actually make their way round the site telling people to clear off or are they just left to their own devices? Whenever I've left, it's always felt like queuing for a helicopter out of Saigon.

[stuie]

50 minutes ago, deepkittycaz said:

Damn, that's an idea I need to remember for next year. A lot of my shifts were very close to T&H, and would have been a lot closer than heading back to camp!

Another tip for next time, if you’re working near a lock up and want to head straight out after you finish a shift, take your clothes, deo, face wipes etc and some supplies and you can just dance off into the festival! I don’t know why it took me until this year to work this out 😂

[Johnnyseven]

2 minutes ago, stuie said:

Another tip for next time, if you’re working near a lock up and want to head straight out after you finish a shift, take your clothes, deo, face wipes etc and some supplies and you can just dance off into the festival! I don’t know why it took me until this year to work this out 😂

I'd worked this out, saved me loads of time.

[Festival Sounds Podcast]

3 minutes ago, stuie said:

Another tip for next time, if you’re working near a lock up and want to head straight out after you finish a shift, take your clothes, deo, face wipes etc and some supplies and you can just dance off into the festival! I don’t know why it took me until this year to work this out 😂

Especially somewhere like gate C where it is right next door. I ditched everything there and just collected it at the start of each shift

[philipsteak]

10 hours ago, Johnnyseven said:

I think now i've done it once i'd be better set up for if I do it again. I'll know exactly what the score is with regards to what I can expect to do/see at the fest and how much energy i'll have to do it with. I'd still rather have a ticket though.

 

I'd have been quite happy with D if i'd got it, it was E I really didn't want - I didn't want to end the festival with an overnight. At least with D I could have gone out after. I put my name down on a spreadsheet somewhere saying i'd swap to D, I had loads of people call and message me looking to swap - there was no way I was giving up A for anything though.

For most E shift is great. Hardly anyone gets a Sunday overnight. There's no Oxfam shift on the gates so it'll only be the handful of people in the oxfield and those two crossings I guess. Maybe a few others. Most get front loaded on to Wednesday morning to cope with the influx.

[amfy]

10 hours ago, Festival Sounds Podcast said:

Especially somewhere like gate C where it is right next door. I ditched everything there and just collected it at the start of each shift

I did this too, then realised that everyone else was just dumping their stuff in the programme section at Gate C itself, and avoiding the whole queue situation. 
Have used the nearest lock ups to shift every other time though as there’s rarely such a safe spot on shift to leave your stuff.

[JoeyT]

I got very lucky with my Oxfam shifts:

Weds 6am - 2pm - Gate B
Thurs 2pm - 10pm - Gate A
Sat 6am - 2pm - Gate B

This was my 14th festival and first as a non-punter.

For me my very fortunate shift pattern made me fall in love with volunteering however it's unlikely I'll ever get shifts which are as kind as the above if I do it again!

It just worked out perfectly.

I wanted to do the early Weds shift because I knew it would be a great one with everyone arriving and just generally being really happy to be there.

Working at Gate A on the Thursday meant I could meet my parents at the gate as they had brought my daughter (and traveled on the shuttle bus from B&W) and I could then bring her on site for the morning. It also meant I could then meet them just before my shift started to hand my daughter back so they could take her home.

My last shift being early Saturday meant I was done at lunchtime then had the rest of the festival with nothing to worry about. Handed my tabard back when I finished, had a shower, a free meal then got stuck in.

As others have said by being held accountable in terms of having shifts to complete meant I wasn't full throttle for the whole week on booze so when Sunday rolled around I wasn't thinking "this is a chore"

All in, I would highly recommend it. If I go next year then it's highly likely I'll look to work with Oxfam again.

[balti-pie]

2 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

 

Weds 6am - 2pm - Gate B
Thurs 2pm - 10pm - Gate A
Sat 6am - 2pm - Gate B

 

Thats pattern E, only with the sunday night converted to a wednesday shift: i had the same shifts but my weds was a 2-10 instead! nice shifts, would happily sign up for them every year 😄 

[Skip997]

4 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

I got very lucky with my Oxfam shifts:

Weds 6am - 2pm - Gate B
Thurs 2pm - 10pm - Gate A
Sat 6am - 2pm - Gate B

 

Bit of a tough one there

[JoeyT]

23 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Bit of a tough one there

Got leathered Friday but went back to tent after Saw Doctors.

The 5am alarm was a bit of a struggle but I got it done like a trooper.

[This_Fields_Good]

13 hours ago, Johnnyseven said:

but because I got my place really late (courtesy of a lovely fella on here)

Thanks, fella !

[stuie]

20 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

Got leathered Friday but went back to tent after Saw Doctors.

The 5am alarm was a bit of a struggle but I got it done like a trooper.

Awesome... glad you enjoyed it. 

My shifts were similar, and I've had this kind of shift pattern for the last few festivals so you may get it again! 

As supervisor you start an hour earlier so your Saturday early shift was 04:45 for me so I went to Fred Again with my pals and then went to bed after.  Only problem was I was a little bit buzzing and the distant vocals of Alex Turner mixed with random basslines blowing in the wind made it a little challenging to get to sleep! 

[Johnnyseven]

Having done Oxfam I thought I might give Wateraid a go next year if I don't get a ticket. A friend did it this year and from his reports it seems much easier than the Oxfam shifts. Previously I got stumped on the question on the application 'What have you done to support Wateraid in the past?' as the answer was pretty much nothing. I'm doing the Super 6 at Swim Serpentine in September and thought I might get sponsored and give the cash to Wateraid, then i'll be able to answer that question.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Johnnyseven

[This_Fields_Good]

12 hours ago, balti-pie said:

(Whispers it quietly) there’s a bed there. In Tow &  Hitch. A full proper made up bed. The amount of lustful looks I’ve sent towards it: not the people in it, they can all piss off and get out of the way, no matter how gorgeous they might be - I just want a king nap in a bed in a bar at Glastonbury 🥳

OMG - If I've only I'd known...

I worked the festival for the first time this year, with Recycling Crew meaning getting up at 05:00 on four mornings including all the messy ones.  The shifts were quite physical and involved a lot of walking so I had to restructure my approach to save my feet and back, and try to get a few hours sleep.  All that said, I'd not have been there at all if I had not worked it.

Will I try to buy tickets in OIctober ?  I'm a bit in two minds about it now, but as time passes I expect the good memories will slap the inconveniences down and I may join my friends who now seem to favour working it cos it's more reliable than trying to get lucky in the ever-growing ticket scramble.
Although I'm not sure if an invite back via the charity is a sure thing, so might revert to applying to Oxfam/WaterAid anyway.  Also the 400 quid saving is not inconsequential, but alas was not able to use it to supplement my bar bill !

[This_Fields_Good]

17 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

Having done Oxfam I thought I might give Wateraid a go next year if I don't get a ticket. A friend did it this year and from his reports it seems much easier than the Oxfam shifts. Previously I got stumped on the question on the application 'What have you done to support Wateraid in the past?' as the answer was pretty much nothing.

I was in the same boat with WaterAid... which presumably is why they politely declined my offer to help polish the Long Drops, etc. !

I spoke to a few WaterAid/Loo Crew people, and the word "gross" was common, but the hard labour sounds to be less that with Recycling Crew.

[Dejalves]

Gutted to have to give up the earlies but B was still good enough for me leaving Fri and Sun free.

Weds 14-22, Fri 6-14, Sat 22-6.

Good experience overall and greatful to Oxfam for a route into the first glasto. Unfortunately, even with 'good' shifts it had the issues I'd expected i.e. FOMO and time management. 

Nightmare trying to juggle actual working time, long walks back to Oxfield and across site, struggling to get rest in the baking sun after the overnight or early shift with Pyramid blasting in the background, and catching up with friends inside the festival.

Ewe didn't miss any bands we wanted to see, but often felt like we were too early or late to the party because work forced us to do our own thing. Probably less of a problem if you don't have lots of friends attending or your friends are all workers too.

Other small criticisms:

- They should be way more lenient about sitting down on shift, 8 hours on your feet is silly and unhealthy.

- They should stop banging on about tea and coffee on shift as if it's guaranteed. 

- Feel bad because they were lovely and seemed to be having a tough time but the Oxfield food wasnt it, very stingy portions

Pros (other than it being cheaper) were loos/showers were decent, loved the crew bars and loved seeing the site on Mon/Tues

Don't think I will bother volunteering again, although I'm sure it will all look tempting should I fail to get a ticket in general sale...

[balti-pie]

Would love to see a few full reports from non-oxfam volunteers - where they camp, the pros and cons, shift allocations, when they can arrive, etc etc. Ive done three years with oxfam and enjoy it, and am very happy to continue, but wouldnt mind trying someone else if it were a bit easier on the feet 😄

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, Dejalves said:

Nightmare trying to juggle actual working time, long walks back to Oxfield and across site, struggling to get rest in the baking sun after the overnight or early shift with Pyramid blasting in the background, and catching up with friends inside the festival.

Although it doesn't affect me, I'm still annoyed about this. No staff should have to camp outside the fence.

[balti-pie]

1 minute ago, Dejalves said:

 

- They should be way more lenient about sitting down on shift, 8 hours on your feet is silly and unhealthy.

 

I broadly agree with everything else you say, but have to counter on this one - you're a steward, its one of the majorly visible roles and first contact with the festival proper a lot of people have every day, i dont want to sound like a boring company man but its really not much to ask for people to be stood up and at least vaguely engaging with the role. There's barely a position where sitting is even vaguely appropriate. We had a couple of people on our second shift who nigh on demanded a seated role, and then sat around with faces like wet weekends moaning about basically everything, skipped off without being relieved at the end of their shift full of beans, and then didnt turn up for their last one. Dicks. 

It goes quicker if you get stuck in, stay on your feet, engage positively, and just get into the role instead of moaning. (and I'm not suggesting you were one of the moaning types btw! i'm more whingeing at the people who skipped out on my shift!)  

[cheakypeak]

10 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Although it doesn't affect me, I'm still annoyed about this. No staff should have to camp outside the fence.

I was on gate D for all my shifts - so you had to allow at least 45 mins each way for walking.  And the fabled tea/coffee van never turned up once!

But apart from that, I really enjoyed my week - lack of sleep caught up with me Saturday PM (had to have a lie down near stone circle), but appreciated the decent toilets/showers in the Oxfield.

Edited July 4, 2023 by cheakypeak

[stuie]

11 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

I broadly agree with everything else you say, but have to counter on this one - you're a steward, its one of the majorly visible roles and first contact with the festival proper a lot of people have every day, i dont want to sound like a boring company man but its really not much to ask for people to be stood up and at least vaguely engaging with the role. There's barely a position where sitting is even vaguely appropriate. We had a couple of people on our second shift who nigh on demanded a seated role, and then sat around with faces like wet weekends moaning about basically everything, skipped off without being relieved at the end of their shift full of beans, and then didnt turn up for their last one. Dicks. 

It goes quicker if you get stuck in, stay on your feet, engage positively, and just get into the role instead of moaning. (and I'm not suggesting you were one of the moaning types btw! i'm more whingeing at the people who skipped out on my shift!)  

Agree 100%. Particularly about it going quicker if you get stuck in.  Generally speaking it’s young girls that can’t be assed. Anyone over the age of 35 and all the lads seem to get it and get stuck in. That said, I had a cracking team this year and they made it such a great experience for me.