volunteering Alone?

[joeltg]

Evening everyone, 

I am volunteering this year for a small charity called small steps, having missed out on main sales and not wanting to chance resales. 

I can't wait to experience things a little differently this year and as my group wanted to stick to resales I will be volunteering solo, is anyone else also?

Looking at it as an ideal chance to meet some new faces. 

Edited April 10, 2016 by joeltg

[mr gumby]

10 minutes ago, joeltg said:

Evening everyone, 

I am volunteering this year for a small charity called small steps, having missed out on main sales and not wanting to chance resales. 

I can't wait to experience things a little differently this year and as my group wanted to stick to resales I will be volunteering solo, is anyone else also?

Looking at it as an ideal chance to meet some new faces. 

I'm not volunteering this year, but I did litter picking through Small Steps in 2014. They're a good bunch to work with, and do great work with people scratching a living from waste dumps in various countries. I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends! 

One quick tip: if other commitments allow, try to get there a day or two before gates open. It's great to wander the site with relatively few people, seeing things coming together in preparation, and it's also great to get up Wednesday morning, rested and refreshed, and see the tired but awestruck faces of newbies coming in the gates!  

[pie_and_a_pint]

I went alone last year, volunteering with a charity. I arrived on site on Monday night, and soon met up with lots of new people. I had a ball! Tom's Field (where you'll camp if you're recycling crew) has a bar and cafe area which is a good sociable space to meet people. It's certainly a different experience to travelling with a group, but it's still a fantastic way to enjoy the festival!

Edited April 10, 2016 by pie_and_a_pint

[kozzauk]

You will have an amazing time, and like the above comment, try and get there on the Monday or the Tuesday.  Glastonbury is a magical site to wander around before the punters get there.  Also on the Tuesday night there is usually one of the bars open on site with a band playing, just for the staff and volunteers, enjoy!

 

[joeltg]

Thanks for the comments guys, definitely looking forward to some perks of volunteering whilst also helping what sounds like a great charity out. 

As Mr Grumby said about getting on site early, I'm sure that will be pretty special so plan to get there Monday eve, Tues morning if work permits! 

Then I can smile and drink a cold beer waiting for my friends as they struggle up to Michaels mead

 

[stardustjunkie]

I've not volunteered before but I am quite happy travelling on my own because I know I'll be in a coach full of like-minded people. That's what you have to remember  Everyone you're with is there to enjoy themselves and experience Glastonbury so you're guaranteed to have something to talk about with strangers!

It sounds like you have the right mindset for it anyway, I hope you have an amazing festival! 

[glasto-worker]

2 hours ago, kozzauk said:

 Also on the Tuesday night there is usually one of the bars open on site with a band playing, just for the staff and volunteers, enjoy!

 

that is the Bread and Roses and it is open from the Sunday Evening and there is no restrictions as to who can enter { as you will know there is many crew bars that do have their own entry pass system }

 

2 hours ago, joeltg said:

Thanks for the comments guys, definitely looking forward to some perks of volunteering whilst also helping what sounds like a great charity out. 

As Mr Grumby said about getting on site early, I'm sure that will be pretty special so plan to get there Monday eve, Tues morning if work permits! 

Then I can smile and drink a cold beer waiting for my friends as they struggle up to Michaels mead

 

 

some will already know this - with a GFL Crew wristband you can enter the Interstage { between Pyramid and Other Stage } up until Wednesday morning when normal Guest restrictions apply.

There is Crew Camps dotted about all over the place but some are general crew areas and others are split up - Normally its more relaxed up until Wednesday morning - just do not get caught out - On Tuesday evening there will be a entry/exit Curfew at the main Gates - you should be sent details about the times in your info pack - a few people I know walked out to pick up something from their Car and when trying to re enter they were blocked - they were well upset - they had forgotten about the Curfew { cant work it out myself as I know they have worked at Glastonbury before }

 

the Bread and Roses is your best bet - note the front changes every year ' but the location remains the same ' - image was from a few years ago on the Tuesday  - just sit at a table and you will soon be chatting to others - we met loads of people there including Traders and some from the Circus - its between the Pyramid and Other Stage {very near Yeoman's Bridge} and will be on your left as you head to The Other Stage - Look out for the crowd

 

you will be surprised how many is there.

[incident]

42 minutes ago, glasto-worker said:

On Tuesday evening there will be a entry/exit Curfew at the main Gates - you should be sent details about the times in your info pack - a few people I know walked out to pick up something from their Car and when trying to re enter they were blocked - they were well upset - they had forgotten about the Curfew { cant work it out myself as I know they have worked at Glastonbury before }

Was this is last year or a previous one?

The reason I ask is that last year I had cause to double check the curfew times/rules and was told that Pedestrian Gates would be locked down at a certain time (think it was somewhere around 2 or 3am) - but that after that until 8am some of the Vehicle Gates (definitely VG2, not sure which others) would temporarily allow Pedestrians through so I shouldn't worry about it.

[glasto-worker]

12 hours ago, incident said:

Was this is last year or a previous one?

The reason I ask is that last year I had cause to double check the curfew times/rules and was told that Pedestrian Gates would be locked down at a certain time (think it was somewhere around 2 or 3am) - but that after that until 8am some of the Vehicle Gates (definitely VG2, not sure which others) would temporarily allow Pedestrians through so I shouldn't worry about it.

I was not directly involved but I do know which gate was involved The Staff car park they were using was next to VG4 - in previous years that could be used by staff # walking in and out # for some reason last year they were told they could not ' enter via that gate ' { nothing to do with the curfew }

 

so staff would park and then walk in using Gate D even although it would be quicker to use VG4 { which is right beside our crew camp }

 

cant recall the time but it was either close to 9 pm { or 10 pm } - they walked out and then tried to walk back in using VG4 - they were blocked and sent to Gate D but was told the Curfew was in place - as far as I know they had to walk though the carparks and ending up at Red gate and were then allowed in.

 

it was their own fault as the  Curfew  times were sent in advance but as I travel by coach and would have no reason to leave I did not note down the time but it was either 9 pm/10 pm Tuesday evening.

 

they will not make that mistake again as it was a right hassle to get back to Red gate.

 

I can appreciate why the Curfew is in place as they don't want to upset people in the queue -

 

I do know that in previous years VG4 did allow staff to walk in and out but they were very clear in 2015 ' No entry on foot ' using that gate.

 

have no clue about the other gates { as they are on the other side of the site } all I can say is they wont allow staff to walk in using VG4.

[pie_and_a_pint]

16 hours ago, glasto-worker said:

that is the Bread and Roses and it is open from the Sunday Evening and there is no restrictions as to who can enter { as you will know there is many crew bars that do have their own entry pass system }

 

 

some will already know this - with a GFL Crew wristband you can enter the Interstage { between Pyramid and Other Stage } up until Wednesday morning when normal Guest restrictions apply.

There is Crew Camps dotted about all over the place but some are general crew areas and others are split up - Normally its more relaxed up until Wednesday morning - just do not get caught out - On Tuesday evening there will be a entry/exit Curfew at the main Gates - you should be sent details about the times in your info pack - a few people I know walked out to pick up something from their Car and when trying to re enter they were blocked - they were well upset - they had forgotten about the Curfew { cant work it out myself as I know they have worked at Glastonbury before }

 

the Bread and Roses is your best bet - note the front changes every year ' but the location remains the same ' - image was from a few years ago on the Tuesday  - just sit at a table and you will soon be chatting to others - we met loads of people there including Traders and some from the Circus - its between the Pyramid and Other Stage {very near Yeoman's Bridge} and will be on your left as you head to The Other Stage - Look out for the crowd

 

you will be surprised how many is there.

The Bread and Roses really busy on the Monday night last year.

Mind you, at nearly £5 a pint I soon departed to find a backstage crew bar which was much cheaper

[glasto-worker]

12 minutes ago, pie_and_a_pint said:

The Bread and Roses really busy on the Monday night last year.

Mind you, at nearly £5 a pint I soon departed to find a backstage crew bar which was much cheaper

Sorry but I doubt the WBC can be convinced to reduce the prices before Wednesday - In fact there was never any plans to open it early I know the first year they were in there setting up the equipment and people kept looking in asking when they were open so when they had it all set up they thought they would open it up for a few hours and the year later they made certain there was enough Managers and its been like that ever since.Its now the first Bar they set up each year.

 

We like many workers have our own Crew Bar and many years ago we used to allow in other workers even although they had no direct connection with the WBC but that all changed one year when a Giant Fight broke out between Security who happened to be drinking there and they started fighting with each other - Its not a secondhand story as I happened to be working there that early Morning - Ever since then the WBC will not allow anyone who does not have a connection to drink in that Crew Bar.

 

Over the years my Tent Manager and I {as we work together in the Crew Bar}  will argue with the pen pushers over the Crew bar prices as there has been a few years where the prices did not make sense - cant recall the prices or the year but at one stage a Can of lager was cheaper than a 1/2 pint of Lemonade - and there has been other strange prices - Up until then soft drinks for staff was free - we managed to get them to change Policy and ever since then it has been free.

 

I would agree there is lots of crew bars that are cheaper although some of them do take a bit of hunting.

[barcelonista1899]

Round the campfire at Wally's crew bar (between Shangri-la and Unfairground is a good place to meet people! 

[fred quimby]

Acoustic crew bar is always good, and a nice selection. Arcadia is ok as well. Block 9 is very lively all week

[pie_and_a_pint]

2 hours ago, glasto-worker said:

Sorry but I doubt the WBC can be convinced to reduce the prices before Wednesday

 

And I wouldn't expect them to. However with access to the better value backstage / crew bars available, I wouldn't drink in the Bread and Roses apart from maybe one pint. It's just too far over my budget these days. 

[dondo]

I have volunteered 4 times and this year will be my 5th. I will be travelling down on my own but have some people I know from previous years that I will camp with.  I've done this previously and spent quite a bit of time on my own but my fellow team members were a good bunch and I had other friends (who weren't volunteering) that I caught up with at various points over the weekend.  It's great to have the flexibility

[dondo]

16 hours ago, pie_and_a_pint said:

And I wouldn't expect them to. However with access to the better value backstage / crew bars available, I wouldn't drink in the Bread and Roses apart from maybe one pint. It's just too far over my budget these days. 

Out of interest, where was the crew bar?  Just I am planning on being on site before the gates open to the public.

[pie_and_a_pint]

1 minute ago, dondo said:

Out of interest, where was the crew bar?  Just I am planning on being on site before the gates open to the public.

There are loads - whether you can go in depends on what job you're doing I think, but last year I used the backstage bar at Acoustic, Wally's in the Unfairground, Maceo's in Block 9, and of course the recycling crew's bar in Tom's Field.

[dondo]

2 minutes ago, pie_and_a_pint said:

There are loads - whether you can go in depends on what job you're doing I think, but last year I used the backstage bar at Acoustic, Wally's in the Unfairground, Maceo's in Block 9, and of course the recycling crew's bar in Tom's Field.

Cheers 

[incident]

15 minutes ago, pie_and_a_pint said:

There are loads - whether you can go in depends on what job you're doing I think, but last year I used the backstage bar at Acoustic, Wally's in the Unfairground, Maceo's in Block 9, and of course the recycling crew's bar in Tom's Field.

Also last year the Chelsea Inn (Unfairground, next to the Strummer Stone) and the one at Arcadia were open to anyone with Staff wristbands. I've heard that the Jazz World bar tends to let all staff in, but never tried it myself.

The staff bars are much easier to find on the Monday/Tuesday before the gates open, as they're usually the loudest thing in earshot. Whereas once the Festival proper starts, they get drowned out and kind of disappear into the background.

[pie_and_a_pint]

Ooh, yes, I forgot the Chelsea Inn. I ripped my leggings on the wooden bench #idiot

[joeltg]

Thanks for the info on bars guys, just hoping that volunteering doesn't kill the magic for me which I'm sure it won't.

As I'm volunteering for Small Steps, does anyone know what my shifts will likely be? Is it 6am to 12 midday everyday? 

Trying to work out when I will fit the sleep in!