SEPTEMBER | FEATURE
“Everyone always
talks about having
paper straws, but
do they have free
range humans?”
organisations that offer volunteer
staffing, which is another way we can
set ourselves apart.
“Everyone always talks about having
paper straws, but do they have free
range humans?”
Access sees this method working
first-hand as we sit in on the morning
briefing. After Wilkinson’s charismatic
and finely tuned briefing, his volunteers
gather for a pre-shift cup of tea, and
are already making friends. During the
festival later in the evening, we spot
many of them still in groups with the
volunteers they met in the morning.
Natasha is one of the volunteers
giving her time at Lovebox. Speaking
at the event, she said: “I’m volunteering
for MIND, the mental health charity!
There is a huge stigma associated with
mental health, and in particular you
can see this within the music & events
industry.
“There’s been a lot of high-profile
press around big performers such as
Avicii and Stormzy and their struggles
with mental health. For me, a chance to
volunteer with My Cause UK was not
just for a free ticket to Lovebox, but a
chance to raise money for MIND, and
to help raise awareness about mental
health.
“Volunteering brings me outside
of my comfort zone, and it gives me a
sense of purpose. I’ve met so many new
friends through volunteering, and I love
that we get to enjoy all of the headline
acts after our shifts!”
Pictured: Top: My Cause volunteers unite; Bottom left: Volunteers at LoveBox;
Right: Access’ Stuart Wood and Sean Wyatt-Livesley helping out
We’re still on the payroll
The services which My Cause
UK offers encompass untrained
roles working at the festival
gates, campsites, stewarding
and around sustainability
initiatives. But the organisation
has also set up a sister company,
Ethical Staffing, which can
provide the option of a paid
staffing team to work alongside,
or independently of, volunteers.
Ethical Staffing can provide
staff for box offices, cash
handling, car parking, bar
management and more. It
also can provide support for
corporate, conference or brand
activation events which would
not necessarily attract a team of
volunteers in the same way as a
festival.
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