Stewarding: hard work but fun. Photo by Fraser Campbell.

By Julia Pearlman

Volunteering is a great way to get involved in festivals and events that you may not have been able to afford to go to, as well as giving you the opportunity to get behind the scenes and see much more than a normal visitor.

One organisation that is frequently on the lookout for hard-working volunteers is Oxfam. The charity has struck a deal with festival organisers who offer donations in return for stewards.

Last year Oxfam had volunteers at festivals including; Cornbury, Leeds, Glastonbury, Reading, The Glade, Womad and Wychwood.

Volunteer roles on offer include:

• Stewarding at festivals - volunteers need to be available for up to five days, during which they will work three eight-hour shifts. In return, they will have entry to the festival, a separate camping area, a meal ticket for each shift worked, and the satisfaction of helping Oxfam to raise up to £370,000 for its work with others to overcome poverty and suffering;
• Campaigners at festivals - This involves a three-day commitment, with a free ticket in return for campaigning shifts. Two volunteers will be given the opportunity to go backstage to talk to artists for signings to auction, encourage shout-outs and get bands and singers to wear Oxfam T-shirts;
• Regional outreach coordinators for an average of two days a week. For this you help recruit and support Oxfam volunteers and event coordinators. There is also the opportunity to help out at festivals, gigs and club nights;
• Tour campaign coordinators for approximately a two-week stretch .

Chris Rose took up a six-month un-paid internship role in 2005, working in the Youth Team as Festival Coordinator. "I really wanted to get involved with Oxfam," Chris explains, "and this was a great opportunity as I love music and meeting new people. The highlights were of course getting to go to the festivals for free, meeting all the volunteer campaigners and working in such a great team. It was inspiring to meet so many people who gave up their weekends."

"As part of my role, I helped recruit volunteers to campaign at the events, which consists of a four-hour shift each day. This involves volunteers being in the big marquee or chill out tent, or out-and-about talking to people about Oxfam and its work, getting people to sign petitions and informing people about more specific campaigns."

So what kind of person would be suitable for this role?

"There aren't many specific skills needed to be a volunteer at festivals," Chris says, "but you do need enthusiasm and the ability to muck in. It's hard work, but not slave labour. The role involves setting up a tent and getting it ready, putting banners up, handing out leaflets, raising awareness and getting people to engage in the campaigns and take action."

"Looking back it seems unthinkable that I did all that stuff - watching stages being set up, seeing people arrive, watching bands from the side of the stage. The days were pretty long, sometimes 17 hours, but the rewards are awesome and to get 18,000 signatures for a petition over three days was fantastic."

You can find out more about the opportunities currently available on the Oxfam website.

Other opportunities

If pitching a tent, getting soaked to the skin, having to pee in a bottle because the queue for the toilet is too long, or losing your hearing from the loud music isn't really your scene, there are lots of other outside events around the country to take part in.

Search the do-it.org.uk database for more event opportunities in your area.

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