Volunteering 2025

[Paul ™]

25 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Agree. That’s a really tricky and stressful job, with loads of potential for confrontation and error 

Should also be an SIA security position/task

[oakdown]

16 hours ago, MrZigster said:

 

TIL Oxfam volunteers get a program. No such perk with Avalon and I usually end up having to tatt one on the Monday.

 

So that's along with being able to bring a vehicle, preferential parking (best on site I would argue), a reasonably placed campsite (I hate the noise at Avalons) anda getting to turn up on the Monday. There's a huge inequality in perks between different volunteer groups.

 

 

There was a time when we didn't, although I'm not 100% when it changed. I definitely remember borrowing one from the folk camped next to me my first year, after they'd bumped a couple from the gate whilst they were on shift.

 

I wouldn't argue that Oxfam don't have a lot of perks but some of it comes down to preference imo, especially the campsite. You're trading off less noise at night for that trek up Muddy Lane, out the gate and past the entry cattle pens which can be brutal. The sticky mud made it hell in 2016, I had to tackle it with a sprained ankle in 2019, and even at the best of times it's knackering by Sunday. Personally, I'd take the noise.

 

[philipsteak]

7 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Agree. That’s a really tricky and stressful job, with loads of potential for confrontation and error 

Confrontation especially, I'd have thought. 

Said it many times before but other crew can be the worst people to deal with. Can multiply that by a few times when they are in a vehicle

[Someoni]

26 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

Confrontation especially, I'd have thought. 

Said it many times before but other crew can be the worst people to deal with. Can multiply that by a few times when they are in a vehicle

What is it that makes that so? I'm just curious 

[Skip997]

41 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

Confrontation especially, I'd have thought. 

Said it many times before but other crew can be the worst people to deal with. Can multiply that by a few times when they are in a vehicle

Very true 

 

14 minutes ago, Someoni said:

What is it that makes that so? I'm just curious 

Often a sense of entitlement and superiority, sometimes enhanced by too much coke. 

[Debani]

I think there has always been internal traffic management volunteer stewards, but I don't know who provided them previously.  Eg at the road crossing between Silver Hayes and Rivermead/Bushy, forming a cordon ahead of slow moving vehicles that are part of the festival show, eg the carnival parade and The Bug, directing artist transport interstage and elsewhere.  So maybe just replacing these, not sure how many that would be though.  Can't imagine it would be much more than that.

[oakdown]

1 hour ago, philipsteak said:

Confrontation especially, I'd have thought. 

Said it many times before but other crew can be the worst people to deal with. Can multiply that by a few times when they are in a vehicle

Have definitely felt this on the vehicle gates, particularly down by Shangri-La one year. We got a lot of aggro from drivers for the unforgiveable crime of asking to see their passes/wristbands on entry. Plenty more were perfectly nice, but still.

[CharlotteB]

12 hours ago, Paul ™ said:

Pretty standard across all festivals, usually a specific contractor that does it then it gets sent away and results come back within 24 hours, though might even get tested on site at Glastonbury. 

 

Yes, it's not a good look when people die at your festival. And yes, it's on site testing. They even have laser thingies to shine through the water, and that somehow tells them something. Such a cool job.

 

10 hours ago, Someoni said:

My missus does something similar running a lab for the gov. 

 

It's insane when you get more information on this kind of thing 

 

My partner is a scientist, doing lab stuff with blood. Very clever with science but a complete dumbass with everything else. Do you find the same thing? 😁 

[philipsteak]

2 hours ago, Someoni said:

What is it that makes that so? I'm just curious 

 

See Skip's answer

 

2 hours ago, Skip997 said:

 

 

Often a sense of entitlement and superiority, sometimes enhanced by too much coke. 

 

Then multiply that by how important their vehicle pass makes them feel

Edited March 29, 2025 by philipsteak

[stuie]

15 hours ago, CharlotteB said:

Every year I discover a.new "Glasto job" lol. There are people who go around taking water samples from all the different points and testing it for bacteria. I've always thought that was the coolest.

Last year I met a flag pole painter! He’d done nothing but paint flag poles for a week but had the whole festival to himself after 😂

[Skip997]

8 minutes ago, stuie said:

Last year I met a flag pole painter! He’d done nothing but paint flag poles for a week but had the whole festival to himself after 😂

A load of the pole painters camp in upper Dragon. It’s a great Glastonbury job. 

[CharlotteB]

9 hours ago, stuie said:

Last year I met a flag pole painter! He’d done nothing but paint flag poles for a week but had the whole festival to himself after 😂

 

 😂 What a doss! I instantly had visions of him up ladder with a paintbrush then realised he will have painted them before they went in the ground lol

[philipsteak]

3 hours ago, CharlotteB said:

 

 😂 What a doss! I instantly had visions of him up ladder with a paintbrush then realised he will have painted them before they went in the ground lol

 

I think for a free ticket you should have to paint them after they've been put up.

And without a ladder

Only seems fair/funny

[CharlotteB]

1 hour ago, philipsteak said:

 

I think for a free ticket you should have to paint them after they've been put up.

And without a ladder

Only seems fair/funny

 

😂🤣😂🤣

 

Sounds like a walkabout act!

[philipsteak]

4 hours ago, CharlotteB said:

 

😂🤣😂🤣

 

Sounds like a walkabout act!

 

Now there's a thought...

Or you could set up like those portrait or caricature painters you see in tourist traps but instead of an easel they're painting it straight on to a bin

[MrZigster]

I have some questions for previous/returning Avalon/ex Shelter volunteers regarding how you approach having to get the coach in from Bristol.

 

Where do you travel in from?

 

Do you get to Bristol by car, train or coach? If you use a car where the heck do you park in Bristol for a week?

 

Do you arrive Tuesday morning or Monday sometime and stay somewhere overnight?

 

How close is the coach pick up point to the train station?

 

How do you find now having to trek all the way across site with all of your gear (and back on the Monday of course)? Can you bring a sack trolley on the coach (pretty sure that's a no)?

 

Have any of you given up volunteering because of the recent changes (i.e. no coaches from London/Sheffield anymore and not being dropped off/picked up relatively near the campsite)?

[Afterlife]

The coach departed from and dropped us back to Millennium Sq BS1 5DB last year.

It brought us right to our campsite, so there was no trekking across the site with our gear on arrival. We did have to go a long way to get the bus back though. 

I plan to stay overnight in Bristol on the Monday this year as I'm flying in.

Don't have any info on parking in Bristol.

[StoneCircle]

1 hour ago, Afterlife said:

The coach departed from and dropped us back to Millennium Sq BS1 5DB last year.

It brought us right to our campsite, so there was no trekking across the site with our gear on arrival. We did have to go a long way to get the bus back though. 

I plan to stay overnight in Bristol on the Monday this year as I'm flying in.

Don't have any info on parking in Bristol.

 

@MrZigster Just making sure you see this response. 😊

[ukmountie]

Hey @MrZigster,

 

I haven't done the Avalon coaches, but I've done the SEE ones which leave from the same place. For parking I went onto one of the many "rent-a-parking-space" web sites and booked. The company I used was Parklet, but there may be different ones by now.

It wasn't expensive, <100 quid, and the carpark was right behind the hotel, which is opposite Millennium Square. I'll do it again this year if car park spaces don't appear.

 

[Talcroft]

16 hours ago, MrZigster said:

I have some questions for previous/returning Avalon/ex Shelter volunteers regarding how you approach having to get the coach in from Bristol.

 

Where do you travel in from?

 

Do you get to Bristol by car, train or coach? If you use a car where the heck do you park in Bristol for a week?

 

Do you arrive Tuesday morning or Monday sometime and stay somewhere overnight?

 

How close is the coach pick up point to the train station?

 

How do you find now having to trek all the way across site with all of your gear (and back on the Monday of course)? Can you bring a sack trolley on the coach (pretty sure that's a no)?

 

Have any of you given up volunteering because of the recent changes (i.e. no coaches from London/Sheffield anymore and not being dropped off/picked up relatively near the campsite)?

 

Only been doing Avalon since 2022 and have been allocated a parking spot every time. I remain hopeful and fairly certain they'll get an allocation again. Though saying that I've always car shared so am more likely to be favoured. 

Opening the group Whatapp chat tomorrow @MrZigster, are you in there? Worth networking to see if there's anyone in there to link with if so. 

[MrZigster]

Thanks to all for the replies. Sorry for the delay in replying. Awful run of shifts.

 

On 31/03/2025 at 01:11, Afterlife said:

The coach departed from and dropped us back to Millennium Sq BS1 5DB last year.

It brought us right to our campsite, so there was no trekking across the site with our gear on arrival. We did have to go a long way to get the bus back though. 

I plan to stay overnight in Bristol on the Monday this year as I'm flying in.

Don't have any info on parking in Bristol.

 

That is really helpful. Thank you.

 

Where are you flying in from? I'm having a bet with myself that it involves less changes than me getting a train into Bristol.

 

On 31/03/2025 at 02:38, StoneCircle said:

 

@MrZigster Just making sure you see this response. 😊

 

Thanks my GFG. Could do with a wave your wand again.

 

19 hours ago, ukmountie said:

Hey @MrZigster,

 

I haven't done the Avalon coaches, but I've done the SEE ones which leave from the same place. For parking I went onto one of the many "rent-a-parking-space" web sites and booked. The company I used was Parklet, but there may be different ones by now.

It wasn't expensive, <100 quid, and the carpark was right behind the hotel, which is opposite Millennium Square. I'll do it again this year if car park spaces don't appear.

 

 

That's interesting. Thanks.

 

SEE? As in SEE tickets?

[gooner1990]

On 30/03/2025 at 22:20, MrZigster said:

I have some questions for previous/returning Avalon/ex Shelter volunteers regarding how you approach having to get the coach in from Bristol.

 

Where do you travel in from?

 

Do you get to Bristol by car, train or coach? If you use a car where the heck do you park in Bristol for a week?

 

Do you arrive Tuesday morning or Monday sometime and stay somewhere overnight?

 

How close is the coach pick up point to the train station?

 

How do you find now having to trek all the way across site with all of your gear (and back on the Monday of course)? Can you bring a sack trolley on the coach (pretty sure that's a no)?

 

Have any of you given up volunteering because of the recent changes (i.e. no coaches from London/Sheffield anymore and not being dropped off/picked up relatively near the campsite)?

 

I did Avalon/Shelter in 2019.

 

I got a train to Bristol on the Monday afternoon and stayed overnight in the ibis right next to the pick up point in Millennium Square (as did a couple of other volunteers who I met at the bar in the evening)

 

Its about a 20 min walk from Temple Meads but as I had a weeks worth of camping gear I got a cab, and did the same on the Monday when they dropped us back there.

[Talcroft]

Avalon Group Chat is now open if anyone wants in to some inane chatter and people panicking about the training 😊

 

Dm me for the link

Edited April 8, 2025 by Talcroft
Increased spam requests to group with link publicly available

[StoneCircle]

10 hours ago, MrZigster said:

 

Thanks my GFG. Could do with a wave your wand again.

 

 

Of course! 🧚‍♀️🪄

[ukmountie]

11 hours ago, MrZigster said:

Thanks to all for the replies. Sorry for the delay in replying. Awful run of shifts.

 

 

That is really helpful. Thank you.

 

Where are you flying in from? I'm having a bet with myself that it involves less changes than me getting a train into Bristol.

 

 

Thanks my GFG. Could do with a wave your wand again.

 

 

That's interesting. Thanks.

 

SEE? As in SEE tickets?

 

Yeah, I mean the ones for coach ticket holders that go from Millennium Square in Bristol. I call them See Tickets as opposed to the National Express ones. I think it's a Travelodge opposite and the car park I used was directly behind that. The only faff about the car parking was I had to pick up the garage pass card from a drop box in another part of Bristol, then bring it back when done.
 

Still hopeful Avalon get some spots again this year. I don't know if this is normal and they don't get allocated spaces until closer to the time. If I'm on the coach I'll have to thin out what I take quite a bit.