Issue 59
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping, festivals and outdoor events
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PEOPLE<br />
Behind the Scenes<br />
Samaritans’<br />
Festival branch<br />
A day in the life helping people “not having a great time” at festivals<br />
AS MUSIC fans head to festivals this<br />
summer, Samaritans have set up camp<br />
in their usual spots, in the middle of the<br />
revelling masses.<br />
Samaritans’ Festival Branch volunteers<br />
have been going to outdoor events since<br />
the 1970s, offering emotional support<br />
to thousands. Here volunteers Janet<br />
and Marion describe a typical day at<br />
Samaritans’ Festival branch.<br />
Janet: Between 6am and 9am, we talk<br />
to a lot of people who haven’t gone to bed<br />
or who are waking up and coming over<br />
if they’ve had a bad night. We get some<br />
sleepy ones, but some who can be really<br />
animated or agitated too. As with any<br />
Samaritans branch, we will always give<br />
a warm welcome to people who want to<br />
come and talk to us. We complement the<br />
welfare offer at festivals, and very often<br />
“I REMEMBER ONE GROUP<br />
OF LADS WHO ALL SEEMED<br />
HAPPY BECAUSE THEY’D<br />
GOT THEIR EXAM RESULTS<br />
BUT ONE PERSON HADN’T<br />
ACHIEVED WHAT HIS<br />
PARENTS HAD HOPED AND<br />
HE WAS REALLY DOWN<br />
ABOUT IT”<br />
staff from the festival’s welfare team will<br />
direct people to us who need emotional<br />
rather than physical first aid.<br />
Marion: “By 10am people who haven’t<br />
had too heavy a night are up and about,<br />
and the site really begins to come alive.<br />
Then the shift changes, fresh volunteers<br />
arrive while others head back to our camp<br />
to rest.<br />
From 11am to midday, people start to<br />
head towards the bands, we get a big ebb<br />
and flow of people. Our tent is very visible<br />
and it’s a great opportunity to promote<br />
what we do – not everyone is looking for<br />
support, many at that time of the day are<br />
just curious about who we are and what<br />
we do.<br />
Janet: Throughout the day, we get<br />
busier and busier. The image of a festival<br />
is that you’re going to have a great time,<br />
non-stop, but that’s not always the reality,<br />
especially if you’ve had a lot going on at<br />
home. You hope things will be better, that<br />
this will be the panacea. But for many,<br />
they don’t leave it at home, they can’t<br />
leave it at home, so they take it with them.<br />
And sometimes the people they’re with<br />
GETTY IMAGES<br />
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