Volunteering 2023

[Leyrulion]

Think I've discovered another volunteering group for welfare services. 

https://ithinc.co.uk/#

Full this year but possibly an option for people who want to get involved next year. Anyone ever used or heard of them before?

[Leyrulion]

Latest Oxfam email says Glastonbury donated an extra 100k to them last year. They raised £1.4 million through festivals.

 

[Leyrulion]

Green Peace volunteering applications have opened. 

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/volunteering/volunteering-at-festivals/

Have until April 14th, 5 shifts of 8 hours.

 

[stuie]

13 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

Green Peace volunteering applications have opened. 

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/volunteering/volunteering-at-festivals/

Have until April 14th, 5 shifts of 8 hours.

5 x 8 hour shifts… blimey! 

I guess they’ll all be daytime shifts too.

[Leyrulion]

17 minutes ago, stuie said:

5 x 8 hour shifts… blimey! 

I guess they’ll all be daytime shifts too.

This one's more like you're actual crew I think. 3 meals, showers, camping backstage of green Peace area. Roles include running their stalls, shower queues and various assorted bits. 

Sure it'll attract someone though!

 

[Bob123456]

 Just wondering what time people are suppose to get there on the tuesday  and if theres a deadline for arriving  (Oxfam)

[gazzared]

6 minutes ago, Bob123456 said:

 Just wondering what time people are suppose to get there on the tuesday  and if theres a deadline for arriving  (Oxfam)

You can arrive on the Monday if you like, if i remember correcty they had 2 meetings on the monday and 2 on the Tuesday that you had to attend, around 2pm and 5pm i think.

edit - you dont have to attend all of them just 1 meeting which lasts about an hour

Edited April 1, 2023 by gazzared

[Leyrulion]

1 hour ago, Bob123456 said:

 Just wondering what time people are suppose to get there on the tuesday  and if theres a deadline for arriving  (Oxfam)

 

1 hour ago, gazzared said:

You can arrive on the Monday if you like, if i remember correcty they had 2 meetings on the monday and 2 on the Tuesday that you had to attend, around 2pm and 5pm i think.

edit - you dont have to attend all of them just 1 meeting which lasts about an hour

You get the confirmed time to be on site in the arrival email that drops about 3 weeks before. 

You have to be there for the last briefing (Glastonbury is so big they have multiple briefings, you do only attend one).

[gazzared]

Just now, Leyrulion said:

 

You get the confirmed time to be on site in the arrival email that drops about 3 weeks before. 

You have to be there for the last briefing (Glastonbury is so big they have multiple briefings, you do only attend one).

I got by oxfam place a week before but think the last briefing was tuesday evening around 5pm, Iam sure everyone had to be there by then as some would have had shifts on the wednesday..... I could be wrong though

[Pipine]

45 minutes ago, gazzared said:

I got by oxfam place a week before but think the last briefing was tuesday evening around 5pm, Iam sure everyone had to be there by then as some would have had shifts on the wednesday..... I could be wrong though

I got my oxfam place a few days before the 2019 festival and I’m pretty sure you’re right, had to be there by early evening Tuesday for the briefing. 

[gazzared]

1 minute ago, Pipine said:

I got my oxfam place a few days before the 2019 festival and I’m pretty sure you’re right, had to be there by early evening Tuesday for the briefing. 

The thursday morning at 5.45am I was thinking wtf am I doing and you looked the same haha....you should have deffo put your hand up first, I really enjoyed delivering the tea/coffee all morning haha

[JezzaBelle]

I've applied for Greenpeace volunteering (I know, 5 shifts, 8 hours, must be crazy!)

Has anyone else been through their volunteering application and has disabilities?

I ask because there was nowhere on the form for detailing what disability requirements I might have, apart from a selection of 6 different things. There was nowhere mentioning PAs nor medical need. Their FAQ section just says they are inclusive, but not what could / couldn't be accommodated. 

I need a PA and have limitations on the time of day I would be able to work (I can do the amount time they need, just not late into the night) due to the medication I need to take.

I did mention briefly in the 'other' free writing box, but am left wondering if the lack of information is because they aren't too flexible?

I do have the accessibility volunteering application form so can go through them if need be.

I'd be interested to hear from any other Greenpeace specific disabled volunteers or anyone with insight. 

Edited April 2, 2023 by JezzaBelle

[stuie]

8 hours ago, JezzaBelle said:

I've applied for Greenpeace volunteering (I know, 5 shifts, 8 hours, must be crazy!)

Has anyone else been through their volunteering application and has disabilities?

I ask because there was nowhere on the form for detailing what disability requirements I might have, apart from a selection of 6 different things. There was nowhere mentioning PAs nor medical need. Their FAQ section just says they are inclusive, but not what could / couldn't be accommodated. 

I need a PA and have limitations on the time of day I would be able to work (I can do the amount time they need, just not late into the night) due to the medication I need to take.

I did mention briefly in the 'other' free writing box, but am left wondering if the lack of information is because they aren't too flexible?

I do have the accessibility volunteering application form so can go through them if need be.

I'd be interested to hear from any other Greenpeace specific disabled volunteers or anyone with insight. 

I have no experience with Greenpeace but I think you should try and get an Oxfam place - two less shifts and they are amazing at placing people with disabilities in suitable roles and giving lifts to your shift locations if you need it etc

Edited April 2, 2023 by stuie

[JezzaBelle]

Thanks for your answer! I'm registered with Oxfam, and would happily volunteer with them. They have been hugely helpful in the application process. 

Just need a space to become available!

1 hour ago, stuie said:

I have no experience with Greenpeace but I think you should try and get an Oxfam place - two less shifts and they are amazing at placing people with disabilities in suitable roles and giving lifts to your shift locations if you need it etc

 

[Leyrulion]

12 hours ago, JezzaBelle said:

I've applied for Greenpeace volunteering (I know, 5 shifts, 8 hours, must be crazy!)

Has anyone else been through their volunteering application and has disabilities?

I ask because there was nowhere on the form for detailing what disability requirements I might have, apart from a selection of 6 different things. There was nowhere mentioning PAs nor medical need. Their FAQ section just says they are inclusive, but not what could / couldn't be accommodated. 

I need a PA and have limitations on the time of day I would be able to work (I can do the amount time they need, just not late into the night) due to the medication I need to take.

I did mention briefly in the 'other' free writing box, but am left wondering if the lack of information is because they aren't too flexible?

I do have the accessibility volunteering application form so can go through them if need be.

I'd be interested to hear from any other Greenpeace specific disabled volunteers or anyone with insight. 

Not sure about Greenpeace I'm afraid, it does read much more like it's workers running their stall area so I think you're right to be a little cautious on the accessibility! 

Who's the accessibility volunteering with otherwise, is the attitude is everything or someone else?

[Brock Landers]

Always wanted to volunteer after going the farm on numerous occasions as a punter but the sheer level of scorn on the Oxfam Glasto Facebook group (particularly from regular volunteers upset at “tourists” volunteering) totally put me off. This was a couple of years ago though. What is the attitude like towards “newbies” these days.

[amfy]

14 minutes ago, Brock Landers said:

Always wanted to volunteer after going the farm on numerous occasions as a punter but the sheer level of scorn on the Oxfam Glasto Facebook group (particularly from regular volunteers upset at “tourists” volunteering) totally put me off. This was a couple of years ago though. What is the attitude like towards “newbies” these days.

I only started a couple of years ago and I’ve found it fine. There’s definitely a core of people who’ve been doing it for years that know each other really well, but they’re friendly enough. I’ve not even seen ‘scorn’ on the FB group tbh.

[StoneCircle]

5 hours ago, stuie said:

I have no experience with Greenpeace but I think you should try and get an Oxfam place - two less shifts and they are amazing at placing people with disabilities in suitable roles and giving lifts to your shift locations if you need it etc

Amazing is not the word I would use to describe my experiences last year at Glastonbury and Beautiful Days in 2018. Completely ignored my reasonable adjustments at both festivals. They make promises they have no intention of fulfilling and Oxbox were so unhelpful, bordering on being rude when I asked to change. To put a deaf person who had requested a seated position in a quiet area on a 3 way vehicle gate with lorry drivers needing directions was downright dangerous! 

[Amani]

3 hours ago, StoneCircle said:

Amazing is not the word I would use to describe my experiences last year at Glastonbury and Beautiful Days in 2018. Completely ignored my reasonable adjustments at both festivals. They make promises they have no intention of fulfilling and Oxbox were so unhelpful, bordering on being rude when I asked to change. To put a deaf person who had requested a seated position in a quiet area on a 3 way vehicle gate with lorry drivers needing directions was downright dangerous! 

I was sad reading about your Oxfam experiences, that is not at all how it is meant to be and must have made the whole thing extremely challenging and not much fun for you 😞

I am not sure what went wrong - did you follow up with them?  I would make contact and ask some questions as to why the pre agreed adjustments weren't implemented!!

I have had a very different experience of dealing with the Oxfam accessibility team - I am partially deaf and have associated balance problems (no fire towers for me!).  I do several festivals each year and a person from the team contacted me before the season started to make sure they understood my requirements (based on what I had included on the initial application) and then they sent me the notes they were intending to add to my records for my approval before they went ahead.  

I don't think the shift supervisors see the records, they just have RA noted against your name on the shift sheet, so they are aware that adjustments are in place but not necessarily why.  The supervisor usually just checks that everything is OK before we get started - but they mostly do that for all their team anyway.

So when it works, it works very well but clearly sometimes it doesn't work the way it should which is not OK. 

I can completely understand why you think their accessibility provision is far from amazing after two negative experiences!  If you haven't completely lost faith, give it another try because it can be and should be a fun and safe way for people with disabilities to enjoy festivals.

[incident]

20 minutes ago, Amani said:

I don't think the shift supervisors see the records, they just have RA noted against your name on the shift sheet, so they are aware that adjustments are in place but not necessarily why.  The supervisor usually just checks that everything is OK before we get started - but they mostly do that for all their team anyway.

My experience on this as a Supervisor who had a RA steward is that when I went to collect the Shift Sheets beforehand, one of the SLT pulled me aside, explained what was needed (presumably based on the agreed language you mention), and asked me to make sure it was sorted and to phone (not radio) back to Oxbox if there was any issues.

Though I can see how there may be holes in the above - in a busier festival for example (or probably even at specific moments at a smaller one) the SLT may be run off their feet, and instead they've got a response steward in Oxbox who may not know that information needs to be relayed. The case I mention would've been at either Wilderness or WOMAD (can't remember which), and so Oxbox would be a whole lot more relaxed and organised compared to the likes of Glastonbury.

[StoneCircle]

4 hours ago, Amani said:

I was sad reading about your Oxfam experiences, that is not at all how it is meant to be and must have made the whole thing extremely challenging and not much fun for you 😞

I am not sure what went wrong - did you follow up with them?  I would make contact and ask some questions as to why the pre agreed adjustments weren't implemented!!

I have had a very different experience of dealing with the Oxfam accessibility team - I am partially deaf and have associated balance problems (no fire towers for me!).  I do several festivals each year and a person from the team contacted me before the season started to make sure they understood my requirements (based on what I had included on the initial application) and then they sent me the notes they were intending to add to my records for my approval before they went ahead.  

I don't think the shift supervisors see the records, they just have RA noted against your name on the shift sheet, so they are aware that adjustments are in place but not necessarily why.  The supervisor usually just checks that everything is OK before we get started - but they mostly do that for all their team anyway.

So when it works, it works very well but clearly sometimes it doesn't work the way it should which is not OK. 

I can completely understand why you think their accessibility provision is far from amazing after two negative experiences!  If you haven't completely lost faith, give it another try because it can be and should be a fun and safe way for people with disabilities to enjoy festivals.

Yes I followed it up with them on arrival home, emails went back and forth and in the end they practically begged me to volunteer again but I have a ticket this year so I am taking the easy route! I also cancelled my place at Boardmasters and got my whole deposit back as I was cancelling because of their ineptitude not because I had changed my mind. Physically I couldn't have coped with the same again 6 weeks later. They actually tried to charge me a cancellation fee!

The vehicle gate incident was in 2018 (and my 4th time volunteering for them) and I ended up with Matt (who was the Oxfam festival manager at Beautiful Days that year) visiting me in our caravan once I had recovered from a Menieres attack. This was brought on by the stressful location thay had placed me in, and it occured on shift, my husband/PA was my shift partner and he had to practically beg for transportation back to Oxfield for me, he was allowed to go with me but they were insistent he had to return to his post. He vowed to never again volunteer for such an uncaring organisation. I ended up getting my next shifts moved by Matt to a night on the disabled platform and tabard return as I steadfastly refused to do a vehicle gate. And yes I had reasonable adjustments in place.

I am a severely deaf, have Ménière's Disease and I have poor mobility due to osteoarthritis in both knees. I also qualify for a PA/Carer but my husband chose to volunteer beside me instead until this incident. 

Knowing how bad it can be if things go wrong I gave them chapter and verse prior to Glastonbury on what happened at Beautiful days, I stipulated my needs very thoroughly ie I struggle with early starts and can't do overnight shifts so asked for shifts after 8am ending before midnight. I spoke on the phone with the lady arranging my reasonable adjustments and agreed with them via email once I was satisfied they were correct. My husband was attending as my PA/Carer. You have to actually sign an agreement that your PA/Carer will undertake your shift if you are not able to. What a nice and caring charity, not! 

I was utterly appalled to get my shifts only one took into account my reasonable adjustments. I had been given two shifts in Oxfield with a 6am start! This would mean getting up at 4am at the latest as I was staying in Spring Ground Accessible campsite not Oxfield. I called the lady who had agreed to my reasonable adjustments, it went to voicemail and I heard back from her post festival. I then called Oxbox to ask to change them and was told by a very passive aggressive person in Oxbox (who patronisingly said she knew everything about Ménière's Disease, wow even my specialist doesn't!) that I couldn't change them. Saturday morning 5am I had a Ménière's attack brought on by stress. My husband/PA called in sick on my behalf. They asked him to come and do my shift, he refused as he didn't feel it was safe to leave me. The final shift was Monday, I have mobility issues and had to return my hired mobility scooter the previous night. I had absolutely no way of getting there and barely slept after having been told to ring at 5am to arrange transport. This never happened as on getting up at 4am another Meniere's attack occurred, these continued for 2 weeks as they often come in clusters when under stress. Again my husband called in sick for me and refused to leave me.

An hour prior to the one shift I completed at Glastonbury I received a call from Oxbox asking me to go there to sign in pre shift, I explained I was in Spring Ground a good 30 minutes each way away even on a mobility scooter. Again I was met with hostility saying I had to sign in which I honestly don't expect or deserve from what at the end of the day is a fellow volunteer steward. Sadly many get a shift in Oxbox and think they are in charge. I explained my shift was close to where we were staying in Spring Ground (Accessible arrivals tent) and I couldn't go on my shift on time if I came to sign in at Oxbox. In the end we  never saw a supervisor all shift and my shift partner had been given our time sheet! 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by StoneCircle

[irnkrtn]

On 4/2/2023 at 9:37 PM, StoneCircle said:

Yes I followed it up with them on arrival home, emails went back and forth and in the end they practically begged me to volunteer again but I have a ticket this year so I am taking the easy route! I also cancelled my place at Boardmasters and got my whole deposit back as I was cancelling because of their ineptitude not because I had changed my mind. Physically I couldn't have coped with the same again 6 weeks later. They actually tried to charge me a cancellation fee!

The vehicle gate incident was in 2018 (and my 4th time volunteering for them) and I ended up with Matt (who was the Oxfam festival manager at Beautiful Days that year) visiting me in our caravan once I had recovered from a Menieres attack. This was brought on by the stressful location thay had placed me in, and it occured on shift, my husband/PA was my shift partner and he had to practically beg for transportation back to Oxfield for me, he was allowed to go with me but they were insistent he had to return to his post. He vowed to never again volunteer for such an uncaring organisation. I ended up getting my next shifts moved by Matt to a night on the disabled platform and tabard return as I steadfastly refused to do a vehicle gate. And yes I had reasonable adjustments in place.

I am a severely deaf, have Ménière's Disease and I have poor mobility due to osteoarthritis in both knees. I also qualify for a PA/Carer but my husband chose to volunteer beside me instead until this incident. 

Knowing how bad it can be if things go wrong I gave them chapter and verse prior to Glastonbury on what happened at Beautiful days, I stipulated my needs very thoroughly ie I struggle with early starts and can't do overnight shifts so asked for shifts after 8am ending before midnight. I spoke on the phone with the lady arranging my reasonable adjustments and agreed with them via email once I was satisfied they were correct. My husband was attending as my PA/Carer. You have to actually sign an agreement that your PA/Carer will undertake your shift if you are not able to. What a nice and caring charity, not! 

I was utterly appalled to get my shifts only one took into account my reasonable adjustments. I had been given two shifts in Oxfield with a 6am start! This would mean getting up at 4am at the latest as I was staying in Spring Ground Accessible campsite not Oxfield. I called the lady who had agreed to my reasonable adjustments, it went to voicemail and I heard back from her post festival. I then called Oxbox to ask to change them and was told by a very passive aggressive person in Oxbox (who patronisingly said she knew everything about Ménière's Disease, wow even my specialist doesn't!) that I couldn't change them. Saturday morning 5am I had a Ménière's attack brought on by stress. My husband/PA called in sick on my behalf. They asked him to come and do my shift, he refused as he didn't feel it was safe to leave me. The final shift was Monday, I have mobility issues and had to return my hired mobility scooter the previous night. I had absolutely no way of getting there and barely slept after having been told to ring at 5am to arrange transport. This never happened as on getting up at 4am another Meniere's attack occurred, these continued for 2 weeks as they often come in clusters when under stress. Again my husband called in sick for me and refused to leave me.

An hour prior to the one shift I completed at Glastonbury I received a call from Oxbox asking me to go there to sign in pre shift, I explained I was in Spring Ground a good 30 minutes each way away even on a mobility scooter. Again I was met with hostility saying I had to sign in which I honestly don't expect or deserve from what at the end of the day is a fellow volunteer steward. Sadly many get a shift in Oxbox and think they are in charge. I explained my shift was close to where we were staying in Spring Ground (Accessible arrivals tent) and I couldn't go on my shift on time if I came to sign in at Oxbox. In the end we  never saw a supervisor all shift and my shift partner had been given our time sheet! 

 

I'm just so sorry to hear all that! I have nothing constructive to add beyond being appalled for you!!!

[Bob123456]

 Was wondering what the likelihood hood based off experience and knowledge that you have to work all 3 or even 2 of your shifts on the weekend  and also how troubling finding people to swap shifts can be?  Not really  that fussed on who i see  but would like to see elton as im sure most would and would like to see arctic monkeys however thats not the be all end all as seen them a few times 

[Havors]

9 hours ago, Bob123456 said:

 Was wondering what the likelihood hood based off experience and knowledge that you have to work all 3 or even 2 of your shifts on the weekend  and also how troubling finding people to swap shifts can be?  Not really  that fussed on who i see  but would like to see elton as im sure most would and would like to see arctic monkeys however thats not the be all end all as seen them a few times 

The majority of shift patterns mean you will do 2 shifts over the Friday/Saturday/Sunday. The shifts based on last year were approx 6am to 2pm - 2pm to 10pm - 10pm to 6am. You will more than likely be off the day after a 10pm - 6am shift. 

There were lots more stewards last year and so there were less overnight shift patterns. This year I fear it will be back to normal and everyone will do an overnight shift. 

Swapping is complete luck... there will be a board where you can put your details on for swapping and there is usually a whatsapp group that people can talk to people about swaps. But you have to swap your whole shift pattern not just one shift. 

[philipsteak]

I've never bothered swapping shifts myself but most I know who have tried have managed it. Even for shifts you think you'd never be able to get. I think at Glastonbury there are so many stewards that there will be that one person who wants what you have/has what you want.

It's all still just luck of course.