Volunteering 2023

[MrZigster]

10 hours ago, lazymagnet said:

Has anyone ever asked shelter for a shift pattern that may allow them to see a particular artist if you’re only asking for one? I.e the Saturday night to see G&R and happy to work any other night. Just wondered if it is something they may consider or if it’s not worth it? Thanks!

Memory is hazy but I may have once hinted in an email exchange regarding an entirely different matter, that I only really wanted to see one headliner. Could've been a coincidence but when we got the shifts on the bus I knew I wasn't swapping with anybody and was punching the air somewhat.

Same year we all agreed to let one of our team just go and watch a headliner, "as long as you come back and help us box things up afterwards". I think there were four, five max of us on duty and we were fighting over customers it was that quiet.

I did a swap at the last possible moment to get to see Metallica. Literally only had one other person at the same bar who I hadn't already asked and only one chance to catch them. Really cool bar head in charge helped.

Bloke who I'd somehow managed to kind of team up with sneaked off for a while to catch a bit of Kylie. No one seemed to notice/care. He came back and offered to return the favour but I declined.

So, once you're there officially you can't swap shifts but it does go on. Probably easier to do in quieter/smaller bars with less staff as less admin for the lead hands and to have a chill bar head.

 

[golden egg]

If you get selected to do the post-festival Monday shift is there a set pattern of what your other shifts would be? Also how many other people with places have put in for it? just wondering how sought after it is and whether it lessens your chances of getting the early one?

Edited May 18, 2023 by golden egg

[Havors]

2 hours ago, golden egg said:

If you get selected to do the post-festival Monday shift is there a set pattern of what your other shifts would be? Also how many other people with places have put in for it? just wondering how sought after it is and whether it lessens your chances of getting the early one?

The shifts where very different last year because there was so many more stewards. Good chance it goes back to those you have posted this year. No idea about the post festival shift though. 

[stuie]

56 minutes ago, Havors said:

The shifts where very different last year because there was so many more stewards. Good chance it goes back to those you have posted this year. No idea about the post festival shift though. 

I’ve just got a feeling I’m in for a stinker this year as I’ve been very lucky lately…. Bit like the weather thread really 😂

[Funkyfairy!]

Seems to be a drought of glastonbury places . Maybe the processor has the week off . When was the last one available - Keep the faith everyone x 

[jfaragher]

14 hours ago, golden egg said:

If you get selected to do the post-festival Monday shift is there a set pattern of what your other shifts would be? Also how many other people with places have put in for it? just wondering how sought after it is and whether it lessens your chances of getting the early one?

 

You won't get both earlies and a post-festival shift.  If you get earlies, you'll be there Saturday to work Sun-Mon-Tues, and then free for the festival.  There is also a kind-of-early shift that has a few people for the overnight Tuesday, to keep an eye on the queues at the gates.

I've had the monday shift once - I was on pattern E, and did Monday AM instead of Sunday overnight.  There are very few people on that shift - mainly just keeping tabs on a couple of the vehicle gates, and helping out at the bus station - all the other gates don't need managing.

[gazzared]

15 hours ago, golden egg said:

If you get selected to do the post-festival Monday shift is there a set pattern of what your other shifts would be? Also how many other people with places have put in for it? just wondering how sought after it is and whether it lessens your chances of getting the early one?

I think the later you get an Oxfam place then your just put where they're short ...I was I think called general Oxfam volunteer or something like that and had earlys Thursday and Friday with a night shift on the Saturday. I needed to report to the Oxfam marquee to meet my supervisor for that shift and was then assigned a role. Thursday I helped delivery drinks with the supervisor in the land rover going back and forth with the urns to all the gates on the east side, Friday stayed in the Oxfam field and spent a few hours checking id on our gate , another few hours checking id for our toilets and a few hours looking at the gap in the hedge. Saturday was a night turn at worthy view gate 👍

Edited May 19, 2023 by gazzared

[svphie]

On 5/18/2023 at 7:37 AM, lazymagnet said:

Has anyone ever asked shelter for a shift pattern that may allow them to see a particular artist if you’re only asking for one? I.e the Saturday night to see G&R and happy to work any other night. Just wondered if it is something they may consider or if it’s not worth it? Thanks!

Couldn't hurt to email I suppose? swapping definitely happens and there is a WhatsApp group where some people try to swap too. I was on Stonebridge last year and when we were having our induction on the Wednesday, the manager asked if anyone had preferences to come and chat after. I walked up and mentioned I was put on fri sat sun and she swapped my sat to thurs. this didn't happen on the small bar I was on the year before though

[Johnnyseven]

11 hours ago, Funkyfairy! said:

Seems to be a drought of glastonbury places . Maybe the processor has the week off . When was the last one available - Keep the faith everyone x 

The amount of festival places that were released yesterday would suggest otherwise to me, but hopefully i'm wrong.

[franks]

21 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

The amount of festival places that were released yesterday would suggest otherwise to me, but hopefully i'm wrong.

Yeah that was a bit concerning, although I'm hoping that we're just a little too far out from the point where there'll be more cancellations to start panicking. Either that or Glasto spaces are being held back for some reason, although not entirely sure what that could be. The fact that there was that one that appeared for a split second yesterday suggests otherwise.

Refusing to give in just yet but this is hard.

[Johnnyseven]

12 minutes ago, franks said:

Yeah that was a bit concerning, although I'm hoping that we're just a little too far out from the point where there'll be more cancellations to start panicking. Either that or Glasto spaces are being held back for some reason, although not entirely sure what that could be. The fact that there was that one that appeared for a split second yesterday suggests otherwise.

Refusing to give in just yet but this is hard.

I'm not giving up too, but also well aware that Glasto may not happen for me this year so not getting my hopes up. 

[jfaragher]

1 hour ago, gazzared said:

.I was I think called general Oxfam volunteer

Response stewards - they use them to plug no-shows, and to help out with other stuff where needed (like supporting the drivers, as you did - though that tends to be lower priority)

[amfy]

Getting into June there will be some again as people get late changes of circumstances (illness/injury/bereavement) that means they can’t go after all. 
 

Right now we are in the drought phase after people that got tickets other ways, or went for a refund because they just decided they’d been a bit hasty signing up to work and can’t face it after all, and the late cancellations.

Don’t give up hope. If you can go at late notice there’s always a decent chance.
 

[balti-pie]

id be quite up for the roaming team response role, going round the tracks around the mega-fence would be pretty cool for the terminally nosy - and the roles you end up being parachuted into could be quite varied as well. Would 👍

[gazzared]

33 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

id be quite up for the roaming team response role, going round the tracks around the mega-fence would be pretty cool for the terminally nosy - and the roles you end up being parachuted into could be quite varied as well. Would 👍

The only downside is that for my Saturday night I was at worthy view gate......if I'd have already known I was going to be placed there I would've stayed out in the festival after watching the foals instead of making my way back to ox field 

[faymondo]

My Distil indicating a spot came and went at 2.34pm for Oxfam ? 

[Radiopaste]

I didn't pick it up or see it! Must have gone in less than 5 seconds?

[chestwig]

11 minutes ago, faymondo said:

My Distil indicating a spot came and went at 2.34pm for Oxfam ? 

Can't be true 😔

[lazymagnet]

22 hours ago, MrZigster said:

Memory is hazy but I may have once hinted in an email exchange regarding an entirely different matter, that I only really wanted to see one headliner. Could've been a coincidence but when we got the shifts on the bus I knew I wasn't swapping with anybody and was punching the air somewhat.

Same year we all agreed to let one of our team just go and watch a headliner, "as long as you come back and help us box things up afterwards". I think there were four, five max of us on duty and we were fighting over customers it was that quiet.

I did a swap at the last possible moment to get to see Metallica. Literally only had one other person at the same bar who I hadn't already asked and only one chance to catch them. Really cool bar head in charge helped.

Bloke who I'd somehow managed to kind of team up with sneaked off for a while to catch a bit of Kylie. No one seemed to notice/care. He came back and offered to return the favour but I declined.

So, once you're there officially you can't swap shifts but it does go on. Probably easier to do in quieter/smaller bars with less staff as less admin for the lead hands and to have a chill bar head.

 

 

7 hours ago, svphie said:

Couldn't hurt to email I suppose? swapping definitely happens and there is a WhatsApp group where some people try to swap too. I was on Stonebridge last year and when we were having our induction on the Wednesday, the manager asked if anyone had preferences to come and chat after. I walked up and mentioned I was put on fri sat sun and she swapped my sat to thurs. this didn't happen on the small bar I was on the year before though

aw ta so much guys!! All sounds positive - do you guys return every year? If so, we requested west holts but where have you guys worked and how have you found it? I’ve done oxfam before but never shelter so super keen to check it out ☺️ heard good stuff so far! Looking forward to hearing re coach/car pass deets and then it will feel proper real. Did training on Tuesday!

[svphie]

On 5/19/2023 at 5:45 PM, lazymagnet said:

 

aw ta so much guys!! All sounds positive - do you guys return every year? If so, we requested west holts but where have you guys worked and how have you found it? I’ve done oxfam before but never shelter so super keen to check it out ☺️ heard good stuff so far! Looking forward to hearing re coach/car pass deets and then it will feel proper real. Did training on Tuesday!

go to around page 56 for some chat about it!

[chestwig]

I'm not very hopeful there will be anymore spots tomorrow. 

[faymondo]

5 minutes ago, chestwig said:

I'm not very hopeful there will be anymore spots tomorrow. 

Slim pickings last week but we go again tomorrow 🤞

[naivetyplay]

16 minutes ago, chestwig said:

I'm not very hopeful there will be anymore spots tomorrow. 

Just have to take it day by day and see what happens 🤞🏻

[Havors]

Will be a good few between now and the weekend before. There always is. 

[Lisanextdoor]

Do people have a cut off date where they stop trying or are we all here until the weekend before? I’ve got a 2 week holiday from 1 June and really need to know before then so I can arrange extra leave…. I’ve got it booked tentatively but will be really complicated if I don’t know before the 1 June what I’m doing. So I’ve said the 1 june is my cut off for trying but I know if the deadline gets there I probably won’t be able to stop myself trying.