Volunteering with Oxfam

[Becks12]

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I managed to get a place volunteering with Oxfam which I'm really excited about! I've never done it before and don't really know what to expect so wondered if anyone else had done it before?

I've got a few questions as well which I'd be really grateful if anyone could answer:

Where do we camp as I understand we're not meant to camp in the main areas?

What does the work actually involve?

How are the shifts arranged, are they spread out or could I end up working friday, saturday and sunday?

Also, I was planning to go down with my friend who was going to drive but she didn't manage to get a place. My car is too unrealiable to take so is there a way of getting there on public transport?

Any other information is gratefully recieved too!

Thanks so much!

[incident]

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I managed to get a place volunteering with Oxfam which I'm really excited about! I've never done it before and don't really know what to expect so wondered if anyone else had done it before?

I've got a few questions as well which I'd be really grateful if anyone could answer:

Where do we camp as I understand we're not meant to camp in the main areas?

What does the work actually involve?

How are the shifts arranged, are they spread out or could I end up working friday, saturday and sunday?

Also, I was planning to go down with my friend who was going to drive but she didn't manage to get a place. My car is too unrealiable to take so is there a way of getting there on public transport?

Any other information is gratefully recieved too!

Thanks so much!

Ok..

1. Last year the Oxfam crew site was a little way out from Gate B - on this map it's the 2 fields (1 white, 1 dark green between Spring Field and Purple Car Park 1. Oxfam Parking was in Purple 1 and Purple 4. There's no guarantees it'll be the same location this year though.

2. For the most part, it's basic stuff - checking tickets (photos + legitimacy), and making sure people are going in the right direction. Nothing especially physical (other than standing up for 8 hours), and nothing that your training won't prepare you for.

3. The majority of people are assigned to 24 hour pedestrian gates on a standard rolling pattern which means that Shift A starts things off on Wednesday and runs 6am to 2pm, Shift B runs 2pm to 10pm, Shift C is 10pm weds to 6am thurs, Shift D 6am to 2pm, Shift E 2pm to 10pm. Then at 10pm Thurs it's back to shift A and the cycle repeats twice over the weekend until everyone has done their 3 shifts. - this usually means that most people end up working 1 morning, 1 afternoon, and 1 overnight shift spread evenly through the weekend. For people not on the main pedestrian gates things can vary a bit but generally the above is good enough as a rule of thumb.

4. Oxfam themselves operate a shuttle bus from Bristol Train Station - if you've not booked a place, you can probably do so retrospectively. Alternatively, they also operate a lift-share scheme which last year was quite popular, although it seemed like the bulk of arrangements were made 2-3 weeks before the festival which is a bit short notice for my taste as I'd be panicking at that point. I'll be advertising a couple spaces from Nottingham if that's any help.

Other stuff..

It's definitely worth keeping track of the blog on the Oxfam Festivals site as they usually post weekly updates with any news. By the same token, there's an Oxfam Stewards facebook thing which you may find useful.

Oxfam have pretty decent on-site catering, and you'll get 5 free meals plus the option to buy more if you want - but make sure you bring a plate, cutlery, and a sponge or something to wash them with. I don't tend to go for hot drinks myself but many people will also recommend a travel mug/thermos so you've got hot drinks with you on shift especially on the overnights.

Edited March 18, 2015 by incident

[Pinhead]

There is also still an unofficial forum at: http://oxfam-stewards.org.uk/forum/

Bring a mug for the tea run....

[Becks12]

Perfect, thanks so much!

I'll be coming down from London so will check out the lift share scheme. We're still hoping to get my friends in, they're all on the waitling list so fingers crossed we all get to go.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Becks12

[adz101]

Lots of information and answers on the website FAQ'S http://www.oxfam.org.uk/stewarding/faqs and feel free to chat and get more info on the Oxfam festivals team facebook page and twitter page https://twitter.com/Oxfamstewards

[pe3ae]

I saw that they've just said on their twitter feed that the campsite will be near Windinglake Farm, so from what incident said it looks like it will be the same place as last year.