Leyrulion

The toilet situation is one of the few things Glastonbury does pretty badly on compared to other festivals (with the possible exception Leeds/reading). The problem is the scale of it means most solutions are technically complex, take up too much space and would cost a sh*t ton. They need more compost toilets and a better system of dedicated toilet attendants. Water aid are great but giving the toilets a wipe down once every couple hours doesn't quite cut it in some areas.

Post COVID cost cutting presumably.

The set he did at the gas tower in 2019 is the best sensory visual experience I've ever had at Glastonbury. Absolutely phenomenal.

I think they're in for a fight with the council over noise. "With regard to offsite impacts in Pilton and other nearby urban areas within the northern compass quadrant, noise levels were not dissimilar to 2019 and 2022, and the issue remained that the noise levels or loudness did not drop away at 00.30 after the main stages finished. The overall fall off beyond this time until all venues* cease at 06:00hrs was for a second year running de-minimis post main venue curfew and at best, gradual pos 03:00hrs when additional sound systems cease operating. Given the significant numbers of people on site and the noise generating infrastructure involved in maintaining the site a radical drop in noise level would not be expected to occur and is not considered to be a realistic achievement for sound levels to drop by more than a few decibels. Nevertheless, the high contribution of music noise and risk of bass beat adverse effects in 2022, 2023 and previously, continues to sustain the officer viewpoint that significantly more consideration needs to be invested by GFEL to control the music noise, so that its contribution to the overall ambient noise propagating beyond the site, shall be better supressed." Basically this is the council saying "We know reducing noise is going to be very hard for you, we still want you to do it".

I think it would be relatively self policing. If there was more clearer messaging it would give people more incentive to call out others around them and people would pack them up partly from social pressure! Obviously you'd still get the odd nob heads.

It was the actual rabbit hole, the secret bit isn't the rabbit hole.

I know civil servants that have used it so it's not consistent. Also that's totally stupid reasoning because you get something out of all volunteering. I lean heavily on the management and leadership skills you develop, dealing with challenging customers and problem solving skills to sell it.

When do I worry that I haven't received it!

I use my volunteer days for Oxfam festivals that aren't Glastonbury. It's already dubious that I can use them for a festival (because of the community benefit test) so i don't want to push my luck. Everyone knows I do it for a ticket and ticket checking doesn't feel like I'm making as much of a contribution. When you're actually stewarding inside a festival and there's potential first aid/lost children calls it's an easier "sell" back to the company that you're making a difference.

Good, a bit of reinvention is always required! And the schtick about having carrots available and the queues to get into Funkingham palace were a bit old

Looks like someone I saw being escorted to medical at Oxlyers about 7am after having a bad trip next to the compost toilets.

Well the incentive is £360, but if you're not directly helping a charity and no guarantee of a place next year the amount of runners would probably increase.

No way? That's actually incredibly poor form. I had no idea that had happened, if I did it might have actually taken them off the list. There's only one org that I don't put on because the volunteer experience seems awful.

Not massively surprising given the well known problems they've had for the past couple of years. Firstly the late change to mandate coach travel from Bristol in 22, and then overselling places in 23. Details added to the spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JAcEC1skr5YsqgyIYUwy6_1HSRh0Fw_Ud0RkQaQIPkM/edit?usp=drivesdk

It's not a volunteer role really if you have to pay.

Keep thinking about this, it's actually a bit gross that charities are enforcing a payment of over £350 to attend, and making you work for it. Obligating a payment to the charity makes it a bit more potentially legally interesting as well. Recieving the payment directly means the charity much more explicitly benefit from the volunteer, so I wonder if it might meet the test of "mutuality of obligation" under employment law. If both sides are clearly receiving a benefit* then you might be able to say an employment contract exists. One side gets £350, the other access to a festival worth £350. That would open them up to having to pay the minimum wage and provide all other employment rights. So I'm very surprised if this is true that they're operating like that. *It's not enough just to provide services to a charity for an employment contract to exist,it's got to be a 2 way relationship . I think that's how Oxfam and all the others operate are able to operate because the payment comes from the festival not the volunteer.

So there's almost two levels of recycling crew? Those whose place is with a charity and those who have a recommendation? How do the charity place people find out about it?

I think this must have been where I've got the idea from. Cut this in half, raise it up about 5 metres, flame shooting out the top of the propellers. Rear bit you can climb in and have a seat. Could be pretty cool.

Don't be an arse. I was specifically said the main stage.

In my head it's been cut in half. The front is facing the crowd, DJ Booth in the cockpit, main rotor spinning over the top (but not directly above the crowd). Spinning Tail rotor by the sound desk. Painted some crazy colours and all circled by flame towers. A Chinook weighs over 100 tons so it's definitely not moving round the site.

Gully is surely lonely hearts club? It's what replace it directly.

This year was the first time the main stage in silver Hayes as gone in til 3am. Sonic stopped at 12:30.

Oh I think I know the area you mean now. You'd still be surprised, those little one meter barriers can kill you in a crush. I could maybe see it working there but for the logistics of putting it in place and then having probably 5-10 stewards each side directing around it for several hours.

It's called Wembley.

They try to direct people to the back of the field to filter down from the back, followed them for Foo fighters and we had a much easier time getting to the middle. The main problem you have on the walk ways is that as soon as you put more barriers onto it that is more things that people could get crushed against and you've effectively halved the capacity of the route. Crowd control is really tricky to balance to make sure stuff you put in doesn't make actually make anything worse.