Having been in operation now for 5 years, we have developed a fantastic Core Team of Volunteers who help both behind the scenes and at events across the country every year. Our Core Team include individuals from all walks of life, with various interests and a wide range of personalities, that make The Better Festival Group a fun and interesting community to be a part of. So here is a little bit of information about all our Core Team Members:
Zee
ZEE
I’m Zee, 32 years old and have been attending Festivals for years. I started Love Not Riots in 2006 and then rebranded the organisation to The Better Festival Group in 2009. My favourite part of what I do is the fabulous people I get to meet and work with every Summer …. some of the best are below 
Seb aka "Zee's Bitch"
SEB
Hello there, I’m Seb (AKA Zee’s bitch). I joined BFG’s ranks in 2009 and have been a helping hand at the majority of BFG’s 2010 summer festivals. I spend the majority of the year waiting for the festival season to arrive and the majority of the precious summer months living it up in various fields across the country from Bestival on the Isle of Wight to Wakestock in North Wales. Working for BFG has been nothing but rewarding and I’ve loved every minute, even those spent stone-cold-sober,soaking wet and ankle deep in mud. If you love music, festivals or just wanna see what all the fuss is about stop by next summer and work with us, and as long as your willing to put the work in, it’ll probably be a weekend you’ll remember for the rest of your life. We’re pretty much the best bosses you’ll ever have 
Nathan
NATHAN
Hey I am Nathan I am easy to get along with enjoy having a laugh and the reason I volunteer is because I love music and could not live without it and nothing beats seeing your favourite bands live and for free, plus you get to meet some really amazing people who are either volunteering with you or people you meet when work your shift at the festival that just randomly talk to you because there are either really drunk or just really friendly.
Flo
FLO
Hello, I’m Flo. I first volunteered with the BFG in 2009, and continue to volunteer year after year! I’ve volunteered at festivals such as Leeds Festival, Bloodstock and Sonisphere, and hope to increase the list. I’m currently studying nursing in Manchester, but I’m originally from West Yorkshire. I’ve found working at the festivals one of the best experiences of my life! I’ve made some life long friends and managed to see hundreds of bands. The work is really rewarding, and working with the disabled at festivals is what encouraged me to study nursing. Besides, we’re all fantastic fun people – and never in your life will you ever have a boss as good as Zee! See you around 
Josh
JOSH
Sup people. I’m Josh (Orgasmo-Josh to the people of Bloodstock) and as you can see from
my picture, I am vain. Even at festivals. It’s just got to be done. How else are you going to survive? I have to say that working as part of the BFG has been one of the most rewarding things of my life. Thanks to it I’ve had opportunities to see numerous bands, as well as meet some of my heroes. I mean, let’s face it, if you’re going to a festival you have to enjoy the music and that’s just what I do. And I suppose that’s the biggest payoff working for the BFG. The work isn’t stressful but in no way
does that mean you should slack of as you should always look professional (really!). Although take into account, if you aren’t willing to put the hours in working, don’t bother, because it makes Zee’s job of giving us these opportunities harder and harder. And if Flo finds out, she’ll hunt you down to the ends of the Earth with the Super-Massive Black Cock.
Vanessa - "The BFG Mummy"
VANESSA
Originally I volunteered with the BFG as an alternative and affordable means of experiencing festivals. I was apprehensive about the kind of menagerie I was about to become part of, but soon found a niche.
I thought stewarding was the best thing ever until I discovered the Big Tent Recycle. I wholly embrace the philosophy of putting people’s waste to good use and encouraging them to think twice about destroying decent camping equipment. Spreading the word about the BFG and the BTR campaign is excellent fun and campers genuinely admire the work we do. Exposure to event management from our angle places us in a key position to positively influence future festivals.
Being on shift requires loyalty to the team and the ability to be awake at times any normal person would be asleep. When we’re off duty there’s plenty of chance to catch bands and socialise. When I’m not in my high vis role I am a (nice) school librarian. I have gone from being lured by the free tickets to being a proud ambassador for recycling; and a voice for festival attendees.
Richard
RICHARD
Hi, my names Richard. I’m a 23 year old mature student (Hahaha, mature students, we don’t exist really) studying carpentry. I originally started volunteering for festivals at bloodstock 09 and from then on, there’s hardly been a moment I regretted volunteering at festival (although working in blazing sunlight with a hangover kinda sucks, my own damn fault though). Working at festivals really is a unique experience. You get to enjoy most (sometimes all) bands you want to, unless your goal is to see every single band, you meet some awesome people, you have good times, and at the end, if your really really fortunate, you go home with more beer than you turned up with \o/
The actual work side of it is in no way reflective of the level of enjoyment you get from getting to chill out “behind the scenes” at places like Sonisphere. Seeing stuff like exactly how much pyro Rammstein brought to soni, or getting to meet Arch Enemy as they stagger off the stage following a set, swaying from exhaustion. You can’t buy moments like that, so getting them for free. Who’d say no?
Mike
MIKE
Hi, I’m Mike and I started going to festivals as a much older volunteer than the majority. I have worked for the BFG at Sonisphere for the last two years, and have had a great time. The work is not hard and is great fun, especially if you enjoy interacting with 40,000 mainly happy and mad people. You have a better campsite, time off to spend in the arena, and an instant group of people to get involved with; therefore it does not matter if you’re coming to your first festival, or coming alone, you’ll be made welcome and looked after. The Better Festival Group does what it says; everyone gets a better festival, especially YOU!
Necro Phil
PHIL
My name is Phil, known by some as Necro. I’m originally from Maidstone, Kent but am now living in Reading with the missus. Music wise a good rule of thumb for me would be the heavier the better, but I listen to a range of artists from Slipknot to Black Eyed Peas, from Agorophobic Nosebleed to Eminem, and everything in between. I’ve been attending festivals since 2001 and have 26 festivals under my belt, approximately 8 of those have been working for the BFG or LNR in various roles such as managing a stall and spreading the knowledge, stewarding gates and car parks and supervising the disabled platform. Attending festivals has fast become the highlight of my year, and working them only makes it better….see all the bands you would have anyway and get to do it all for free, while giving something back. Which at the end of the day, is the whole reason I choose to be involved with the BFG; festivals have become a huge part of my life and I love it, but when you see a good event go down hill you want to help, and when you see a festival you previously couldn’t attend, you want to seize the opportunity to be there.
Jordan
JORDAN
I’m Jordan, I’m 17 (I’ll be 18 by Summer ’11) and I’m currently in my last year of school, and hoping to study French at University next year. I’ve been part of the BFG since 2009, and my first festival with the BFG was Bloodstock ’09, which was one of the greatest weekends of my life, and one that I’ll definitely never forget. At first I was quite apprehensive about volunteering, but I soon found the rest of the team to be one of the nicest and most genuine group of people I’ve ever met. Although work at festivals does require seriousness and stamina, it is also extremely rewarding – at festivals you meet people who you think you’ve known for ages, some people who you’d never thought you’d get along with, and some people you’ll meet when they stagger up to you, wearing nothing but a loin cloth, drinking some foul-looking liquid from a drinking horn at half past four in the morning – good times. With the BFG, I have the had the chance to meet some of my favourite bands, watch them from the side of the stage, and dance around like an idiot to The Final Countdown in a field full of thousands of people, all completely free of charge. I have not looked back once since joing the BFG, and I hope to volunteer for many years to come (especially when I am a very poor student).
Ryan AKA Jesus!
RYAN aka Jesus!
Well, I’m Ryan, Jesus as I’m best known during the festival season. I’m 20 and currently at Kent Uni studying continental philosophy…it just seemed to fit the profile, haha! I work at every BFG festival I can, no matter what the music is, its just soooo much fun to work at them, so different to going as a regular punter (I don’t even think I could go to a fest normally now without it feeling weird). Plus the festival atmosphere isn’t all jst about the music. The people are all good, like-minded people and as were usually there for a week, we all make friends with each other quickly and easily and have a great laugh. General advantages include the great crowd, staying at a festival for around a week (so can explore the whole area when deserted), private toilets, campsite and often even showers and not to mention the booze we find when sorting through the campsites at the end…there is, lets just say, a lot! The work goes fast as you are usually just talking to attendees and helping people out which is generally what most of us do at a festival anyway, right? Well, that or just being passed out until the bands are on, which is fun, but a bit of a waste of a festival experience really. Overall working for the BFG really makes your summer. Great times, music and ppl. What more can be said? See you all in the summer!
Admiral Gee
GARY
I’m Gee and I see myself as the son of the Better Festival Group, nothing beats hanging out with everyone working for the BFG. I go as a jack-of-all-trades, I might be the manager of your team if you are lucky! Festivals for me are all about the BFG! There is absolutely nothing better than going to festivals, meeting some epic new people, seeing bands, and get it all for free! The work is great, meeting new people, helping out and getting the inside info on how festivals work, you’ll be surprised how fast the team becomes a little family unit. I have been with the BFG for 3 years now, and I can’t see myself going to festivals with out the BFG. Cant wait to see you in the summer
Darren Petty *AKA WonderwoMAN*
Darren Petty
I’ve been involved with the music industry for quite some time now, normally as a paying customer for CDs and legal downloads. I have been attending festivals since 2004 and have since been to a dozen or so to date. I’ve been involved with Better Festival Group since 2009 and have loved it ever since. This is something great for your CV and your social life. Through BFG I have met the best friends I can ever meet. I run the publess pub quiz on the first night for the volunteers as a way of integrating the new peoples and entertaining the old. You can normally spot my tent a mile off, it’s the one that looks like a shed full completely with fancy dress items. My advice for you (who ever you are person reading this, especially if you’re dedicated, hard working and pretty) is to enquire, sign up, join in and you will have a good time working with us and a great sense of pride too.
