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Volunteering with SOS Africa


Doug85
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I have a chance of volunteering with SOS Africa to grab a ticket. Has anyone here done this before? They seem to be the better out of the ones available as litter picking in the morning seems more desirable than cleaning the loos elsewhere. 

Im just hoping it's not too good to be true. 

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I litterpicked last year, the morning shifts. 6am-12 midday (Fri through to Monday).

I did do it through another charity, although I quite enjoyed it and we had a laugh as well as working hard.

Last year was a tough year, not only because of the awful mud, but I am sure there was more litter than ever!

Someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but you will still be camped up at Tom's field with access to the hot showers/lunches, no matter who you work for. And it's a great place to meet people.

Just allow time to get up that hill if your desperate for sleep!

You'll have a blast no matter what Doug, and at least you will be there with plenty of free time to enjoy it. I wouldn't hesistate to volunteer again.

Edited by joeltg
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1 hour ago, joeltg said:

I litterpicked last year, the morning shifts. 6am-12 midday (Fri through to Monday).

I did do it through another charity, although I quite enjoyed it and we had a laugh as well as working hard.

Last year was a tough year, not only because of the awful mud, but I am sure there was more litter than ever!

Someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but you will still be camped up at Tom's field with access to the hot showers/lunches, no matter who you work for. And it's a great place to meet people.

Just allow time to get up that hill if your desperate for sleep!

You'll have a blast no matter what Doug, and at least you will be there with plenty of free time to enjoy it. I wouldn't hesistate to volunteer again.

That seems to be the same deal. Friday through to Monday 6am-midday then the rest of the day to yourselves. Up at toms field as well so sounds similar. Think I'm just going to go for it as the Mrs is happy too. 

Seems to be my best way of guaranteeing I'll see Radiohead. 

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13 minutes ago, Doug85 said:

That seems to be the same deal. Friday through to Monday 6am-midday then the rest of the day to yourselves. Up at toms field as well so sounds similar. Think I'm just going to go for it as the Mrs is happy too. 

Seems to be my best way of guaranteeing I'll see Radiohead. 

Be Aware Unless they have already spelled out where your crew camp will be it in fact could be anywhere .

I started out 28 years ago in one camp and ever so many years it moves { counter clockwise } started out in the East and we are now in the West .

Some years we were Outside the wall and then they brought us back in .

Now the odds are it will be close to Tom's Field but there is a chance it may not be.

I know that some crews were camping in Bath & West Showground and they were shuttled in each day.

There is Crew camps scattered all over the place - its just the luck of the draw 

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Just had it confirmed that it is Tom's field this year. Around a 5 min walk from the pyramid?

All shifts are based on litter picking on the pyramid field. 6am-midday, Friday- Monday. 

2 hot meals per day and access to the staff bars. 

Think they have managed to convince me. Would be nice to give something back to the festival.

Edited by Doug85
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13 minutes ago, Doug85 said:

Just had it confirmed that it is Tom's field this year. Around a 5 min walk from the pyramid?

All shifts are based on litter picking on the pyramid field. 6am-midday, Friday- Monday. 

2 hot meals per day and access to the staff bars. 

Think they have managed to convince me. Would be nice to give something back to the festival.

A lovely 5 min stroll downhill, getting back smashed is not so pleasant :)

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6 minutes ago, Doug85 said:

Just had it confirmed that it is Tom's field this year. Around a 5 min walk from the pyramid?

All shifts are based on litter picking on the pyramid field. 6am-midday, Friday- Monday. 

2 hot meals per day and access to the staff bars. 

Think they have managed to convince me. Would be nice to give something back to the festival.

sorry but who ever claimed ' Tom's field is around a 5 min walk from the pyramid ' is stretching the truth 

you would be hard pushed to make it on a motorbike even if there was no one about

have a look on the map and you will see for yourself

 

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5 minutes ago, glasto-worker said:

sorry but who ever claimed ' Tom's field is around a 5 min walk from the pyramid ' is stretching the truth 

you would be hard pushed to make it on a motorbike even if there was no one about

have a look on the map and you will see for yourself

 

It's not five minutes walk from the actual Pyramid, but if <insert name of band here> are on a three o'clock, you can easily leave Tom's field at five-to and be able to see and hear the 'HELLLLOOOO GLASSSSTONNNBERRRYYYY!!!' from the back of the field!

2017 will be my third consecutive year of litterpicking. It's fine - even in the mud last year it wasn't too bad (and at least I didn't get sunburned...) I highly recommend it as long as you're the sort of person who can get on with it and won't flake out of your shifts. Personally I don't often make use of my meal tickets as the queues for food are too long in the Tom's Field cafe, but the food (when you get it!) is very good. The bar in the Tom's Field tent is very cheap. The showers are excellent. Being able to arrive on Sunday is bloody brilliant. Lugging your stuff from the car is still shit, though, but at least you don't have to stand in a massive queue at the gate!

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7 hours ago, pie_and_a_pint said:

It's not five minutes walk from the actual Pyramid, but if <insert name of band here> are on a three o'clock, you can easily leave Tom's field at five-to and be able to see and hear the 'HELLLLOOOO GLASSSSTONNNBERRRYYYY!!!' from the back of the field!

 

Its The Other Way I was responding to as the person wrote 'Around a 5 min walk from the pyramid'

Walking back to the Crew site - there is still people about and that slows things down and unless the are a Olympic Runner they would be hard pushed to get close to that time even if the ground is dry.

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Yeah i was specifically quoted that it's 5 mins walk from the pyramid. Whether that's earshot of the pyramid or arriving at the field i'm unsure. Judging by the map it seems longer, also if I remember rightly there was a massive hill leading up to worthy farm and beyond big ground which will make the trip home longer for sure. Any idea if all of Tom's field is on a slope due to that or can you camp on flat ground there? Have to say i'm thinking of signing up today.

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2 hours ago, giantkatestacks said:

Its slopey, very slopey. Though there is flat ground near the road but I wouldnt want to camp there because its too busy for my tastes. The camping is fine though. Sign up - you'll enjoy it. 

Yea that's a really busy road too with site traffic.

I would go for the top of Tom's field, fantastic views.

Just don't do what I did and sleep upside down smashed, I think it made the hangover 50 times worse!

Edited by joeltg
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Well after careful consideration I have signed up and paid my deposit today. That's myself and the mrs signed up for litter picking. I couldn't risk not going this year with it taking a break. Resale day would have been a nightmare for me so i'm happy to avoid the stress for myself. I will be helping others though. After the disappointment of T Day i am just happy to be going and this year that means I get to give a little back to the festival that made me so happy last year.

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We volunteered with another charity last year, doing the 6am-12 Pyramid shift and stayed in Tom's Field. It was hard work because of the mud, and we were too tired to stay out late every night but we enjoyed it - though you have to not mind a bit of muck and elbow grease!  You'll be doing something positive for the festival, raising money for a good cause, probably saving yourself a bit of money in the long run, getting a guarantied ticket/avoiding ticket day stress, and it's also quite satisfying seeing the area cleared of rubbish (much of which is recycled/composted) after your shift.  See my before and after photo below...lots of the white blobs in the 'after' photo are seagulls not rubbish.  Please, please make sure you turn up to all your shifts and do your fair share of work though.

 

I liked Tom's Field - it is pretty slopey and out of the way, but you get good views from there and it really isn't far to the Pyramid stage - but more than 5mins walk.  It's quiet at night, so you can get a good sleep before you start work again the next day.  The queues for the showers are long at times (e.g. after the 6-12 shift has finished) but no queues at other times. The food is veggie, yummy and filling but again the queues can be very long, so we didn't always eat there.

Glastonbury1.jpg

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21 hours ago, Doug85 said:

Yeah i was specifically quoted that it's 5 mins walk from the pyramid. Whether that's earshot of the pyramid or arriving at the field i'm unsure. Judging by the map it seems longer, also if I remember rightly there was a massive hill leading up to worthy farm and beyond big ground which will make the trip home longer for sure. Any idea if all of Tom's field is on a slope due to that or can you camp on flat ground there? Have to say i'm thinking of signing up today.

 

15 hours ago, Doug85 said:

Well after careful consideration I have signed up and paid my deposit today. That's myself and the mrs signed up for litter picking. I couldn't risk not going this year with it taking a break. Resale day would have been a nightmare for me so i'm happy to avoid the stress for myself. I will be helping others though. After the disappointment of T Day i am just happy to be going and this year that means I get to give a little back to the festival that made me so happy last year.

I am glad you did 

I am a Official WBC Organiser so I deal with Volunteers all the time and I tend to not make outlandish Claims just so they know what they are letting themselves in for.

you have a good deal and I am sure you will be pleased.

WBC Volunteers are not told what shifts they will do in advance { unless they have been a Volunteer for 25 years } 

and most WBC Volunteers will be expected to work when the bands are on and some will have to work very late { I already know that My Team will be working very late on the Tuesday and Sunday { by very late I do mean until 5 or 6 am Monday morning { we pack up on the Sunday so we are ready for the coach - as there is no time to do it on the Monday }} - in fact I could pick a easy shift but I know they depend on me on those two nights  

when I first started shifts were 8 hours per day/evening but these days most will work shorter shifts { 6 hours } - some will work 6 days { I do } but others may work 4 or 5 days.  

You will have access to the general crew area and there may or may not be a general catering area and there may or may not be shared facilities - this should all be explained in your briefing notes.

Some crew camps will have extra Security and they will not allow you to wander in without a specific pass so a GFL Crew pass on its own is not enough.

I know that within my crew camp that is self contained and it has its own catering unit and its own hot showers and flush toilets and its own crew bar.

some ' but not all ' crews eat at Goose Hall ' { they will let you know about this in advance }  

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/site-snaps-tipis-and-tattoos/

Goose Hall is marked at 16-i

http://www.wherever.me.uk/G2015/G2014overlay.jpg

A OLD but interesting write up about Goose Hall

http://www.foodservicefootprint.com/features-2/festival-fare

By the way if you are there before the gates open your GFL Crew pass will allow you into the guest area of the backstage area - you will not get entry to directly behind the stage as that is a busy area { even late at night } 

over the years that backstage area has expanded and its more like a mini town - be aware that even on a Tuesday night its still a busy place so use a bit of common sense as there will be set up crews busy doing their Job so keep to the main paths.

its a good time to look at other areas - some crew bars may issue a special pass - the trick is to collect that before any Punters are allowed in as by the next day your GFL crew pass will not get you close.

Edited by glasto-worker
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2 hours ago, glasto-worker said:

 

I am glad you did 

I am a Official WBC Organiser so I deal with Volunteers all the time and I tend to not make outlandish Claims just so they know what they are letting themselves in for.

you have a good deal and I am sure you will be pleased.

WBC Volunteers are not told what shifts they will do in advance { unless they have been a Volunteer for 25 years } 

and most WBC Volunteers will be expected to work when the bands are on and some will have to work very late { I already know that My Team will be working very late on the Tuesday and Sunday { by very late I do mean until 5 or 6 am Monday morning { we pack up on the Sunday so we are ready for the coach - as there is no time to do it on the Monday }} - in fact I could pick a easy shift but I know they depend on me on those two nights  

when I first started shifts were 8 hours per day/evening but these days most will work shorter shifts { 6 hours } - some will work 6 days { I do } but others may work 4 or 5 days.  

You will have access to the general crew area and there may or may not be a general catering area and there may or may not be shared facilities - this should all be explained in your briefing notes.

Some crew camps will have extra Security and they will not allow you to wander in without a specific pass so a GFL Crew pass on its own is not enough.

I know that within my crew camp that is self contained and it has its own catering unit and its own hot showers and flush toilets and its own crew bar.

some ' but not all ' crews eat at Goose Hall ' { they will let you know about this in advance }  

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/site-snaps-tipis-and-tattoos/

Goose Hall is marked at 16-i

http://www.wherever.me.uk/G2015/G2014overlay.jpg

A OLD but interesting write up about Goose Hall

http://www.foodservicefootprint.com/features-2/festival-fare

By the way if you are there before the gates open your GFL Crew pass will allow you into the guest area of the backstage area - you will not get entry to directly behind the stage as that is a busy area { even late at night } 

over the years that backstage area has expanded and its more like a mini town - be aware that even on a Tuesday night its still a busy place so use a bit of common sense as there will be set up crews busy doing their Job so keep to the main paths.

its a good time to look at other areas - some crew bars may issue a special pass - the trick is to collect that before any Punters are allowed in as by the next day your GFL crew pass will not get you close.

Thanks for this. Some great info in there. I think I am restricted to arriving on the Tuesday evening due to work restraints for the Mrs but should get there before the cut off point and beat all of the traffic. I'd love to get one of those special crew passes but sounds as though I'd miss out on that. 

I'm quite pleased about the shifts to be fair. Early morning starts but I don't miss any of the music really and We get the majority of the evening to ourselves which is a blessing considering what other shifts people get. To be honest I was just happy to be able to go after fearing I'd miss it this year. Working for my attendance doesn't bother me too much. 

How does the parking work? I assume you get a parking pass for a specific parking area based on which gate you specify you arrive at? 

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They give you a crew parking pass which will be for Gate B parking - you sometimes end up quite close in and sometimes not depending on the whim of the steward. The only choices are gate B parking or gate A if you are public transporting. They ask you to choose early so that your details are in the correct crew check-in box at the relevant gate.

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Nice local charity SOS Africa.....based in Shepton Mallet with a shop there and in Frome.  They do the Pyramid abseil thing I think and raise funds for education programmes for disadvantaged kids in Africa.

If anyone is interested I hear on the grapevine that they are also repeating the Shepton Mallet Prison lock-in that they did in 2015 again this year.  24 hours inside the now decommissioned but very much original gaol....boiler suits, rollcalls, meagre food, exercise in the yard, plus a tour at the end of the old wings including the execution block etc.  A great experience if you are interested in social history and want to raise a few quid for them at the same time.  My wife did it in 2015 and loved the experience...you might even get to sleep in the same cell inhabited by the Kray twins.....

 

 

 

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49 minutes ago, Doug85 said:

Does anyone know what time is the cut off on the Tuesday for people arriving and then having to wait until the gates opening on the Wednesday morning?

Last year it was 11pm on the Tuesday...we only just made it, despite leaving with loads of time and living only 40 miles away, due to the massive queues getting into the muddy car parks that day. Registration was actually extended to 11.30pm because of it but I think some volunteers stuck in the queue after that point had to sleep in their cars until registration opened again next morning at 8am. Anyway, moral of the story - leave plenty of time to collect your pass, register in Tom's Field and set up your tent!
(P.S. if you haven't already found it there's a recycling crew Facebook page with lots of info on)

Edited by Harebell
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12 hours ago, Doug85 said:

Does anyone know what time is the cut off on the Tuesday for people arriving and then having to wait until the gates opening on the Wednesday morning?

 

16 hours ago, Doug85 said:

Thanks for this. Some great info in there. I think I am restricted to arriving on the Tuesday evening due to work restraints for the Mrs but should get there before the cut off point and beat all of the traffic. I'd love to get one of those special crew passes but sounds as though I'd miss out on that. 

I'm quite pleased about the shifts to be fair. Early morning starts but I don't miss any of the music really and We get the majority of the evening to ourselves which is a blessing considering what other shifts people get. To be honest I was just happy to be able to go after fearing I'd miss it this year. Working for my attendance doesn't bother me too much. 

How does the parking work? I assume you get a parking pass for a specific parking area based on which gate you specify you arrive at? 

These crew bars that issue these passes - sometimes they will be willing to hand over a few so look about and if you spot someone who you are working with who has a pass - ask them - its worth a try.

The parking pass for crew parking should be ' the nearest to your crew site ' { there is crew parking dotted round the site } but last year the workers using the crew parking next to Gate D ended up on the opposite side due to flooding of that field - they were not very well pleased but it just could not be helped .But even if its close to your camp  within the actual field its all down to the luck of the draw because you could end up right at the back and the car behind you right at the front - if you don't know the area ' its best to ask '


- I tell my mob if they think they are going to end up at the back just to ask permission to drop stuff at the exit - some will allow this and some wont - it really depends how busy it is - Now This Curfew can be a right pain - there was a minibus full of workers and they had  advance permission to arrive after Midnight but in typical Glastonbury style they were sent to VG4 but the person in charge of that gate would not let them though - they were bounced about all over the place but even with a official pass and a letter they were just refused entry - now everyone in that minibus had their own Workers ticket { with face image } - the minibus was displaying the correct onsite pass and they had a letter from a senior official but they still could not get in - 

Now I don't know what arrangements they are planning for you but you need to allow enough time to collect your pass { or crew ticket } so I would advise arriving no later than 10 pm as there can be a lot of messing about - its for that reason I ditched driving to it - the first London WBC crew Coach enters at 3pm Tuesday - As the WBC own a share of Glastonbury - this is all planned out in advance so there will be officials waiting for the coach - some years it only takes 20 minuets but other years it can take 120 minuets - all the officials are in place so why the variation I don't have a clue - funny enough last year was very hassle free 

Edited by glasto-worker
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18 hours ago, parsonjack said:

Nice local charity SOS Africa.....based in Shepton Mallet with a shop there and in Frome.  They do the Pyramid abseil thing I think and raise funds for education programmes for disadvantaged kids in Africa.

If anyone is interested I hear on the grapevine that they are also repeating the Shepton Mallet Prison lock-in that they did in 2015 again this year.  24 hours inside the now decommissioned but very much original gaol....boiler suits, rollcalls, meagre food, exercise in the yard, plus a tour at the end of the old wings including the execution block etc.  A great experience if you are interested in social history and want to raise a few quid for them at the same time.  My wife did it in 2015 and loved the experience...you might even get to sleep in the same cell inhabited by the Kray twins.....

 

 

 

Details here

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Thanks for all that info. I am hoping to drive down on Tuesday afternoon and get there by early evening - 6/7pm depending on traffic etc but if it's open until 10pm ish then hopefully that should give me more than enough time to get to the office and get sorted and then get in and pitched. Should also mean that we would miss the mass amounts arriving on the wednesday morning. Are the behind the scenes areas closed by the tuesday night or will we still have a chance to have a look around. Obviously fully expecting not to get anywhere near the stages where there are crew working. If all goes to plan I hope to get a decent spot in Tom's field and have a wander around the site whilst it is still relatively empty on the tuesday before watching everyone arrive the next morning.

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Tuesday's a great day. All of the crew bars will be open (and busy!) and it's a great time to wander, explore, and see the site as 'all fields' before the hordes arrive. 

You'll find a few places open to eat in the evening too, and there'll be lots of folk out and about. 

But even if you do find a few bars on Tuesday night, if you can bear it, it's worth getting up early on Wednesday morning and finding a strategic spot to watch the site 'fill'. Hearing the 'gates are open' roar at 8am is priceless - and watching the place come alive as all the tens of thousands of people gradually make the empty green fields full of colour is just incredible and a real privilege. 

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6 hours ago, Doug85 said:

Thanks for all that info. I am hoping to drive down on Tuesday afternoon and get there by early evening - 6/7pm depending on traffic etc but if it's open until 10pm ish then hopefully that should give me more than enough time to get to the office and get sorted and then get in and pitched. Should also mean that we would miss the mass amounts arriving on the wednesday morning. Are the behind the scenes areas closed by the tuesday night or will we still have a chance to have a look around. Obviously fully expecting not to get anywhere near the stages where there are crew working. If all goes to plan I hope to get a decent spot in Tom's field and have a wander around the site whilst it is still relatively empty on the tuesday before watching everyone arrive the next morning.

 

Best to pick a gate next to the car parks for the Wednesday - always good for a laugh - spotted this bright spark who must have thought he had the perfect answer - a wheelie bin - even although that is only feet from the gate ' the right wheel fell off ' and he was struggling - it appeared to be packed out with bevy and there is no way he would have made out of that field - I am sure he would have dumped it there when they left - not a smart move and I bet he does not use a wheelie bin again

the other shot was the night before - we were on our way to the Bread and Roses pub.

you can get to most places but if you spot Security they will soon tell you if your pass will get you though or not.

there will be more people than you would expect to see.We tend to work late on the Tuesday and I can lay a bet on now what the first question will be

' where can I plug in my phone ? ' - I will drag them to a huge sign ' phone charging here '

second question will be ' when will I find out my shifts ? ' and at that will drag them to a second huge sign ' Shifts will appear here Wednesday morning '

sure they may be new but I just cant work out why they don't read the signs.

the daft part is they have to sign a contract and it states all the information where everything is - they sign but don't read 

2013-wbc-9.jpg

2013-wbc-41.jpg

Edited by glasto-worker
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