I figured we would wait til the excitement of Christmas was over so I could give you something else to get excited about …. 2012 Festival Season!!

2011

2011 was a great year for us, and we would never have got such great feedback and praise without the help of all of our volunteers, so thank you once again for helping us achieve great things for another year running!

Special Thanks

I appreciate and thank each and every volunteer that worked with us this year, but it is more than necessary this year to give special thanks to a certain number of volunteers who have gone the extra mile.  Without these guys standing by me and putting in the extra effort to support me and The Better Festival Group, we would not be where we are today.

This is in no particular order and many apologies if I miss anyone out.

My immense gratitude and appreciation for support and hard work goes out to Mike Morris, Ryan Conboy, Nathan Russell, Phil Clarke, Gary Killelay, Seb Chew, Sylvia Goldsmith, Darren Petty, Flo Haigh, Nick Kimberley and Vanessa Kimberley.

Core Team

Following on from another successful year Gary Killelay and Nick Kimberley have been or will soon be added to our Core Group!  Read their intro HERE

Deposits

For most people you will be aware that we have always done everything we can to keep our opportunities deposit free.  Unfortunately with more and more people letting us down, we have no choice but to introduce a deposit scheme for 2012 and the foreseeable future.  The deposit will be £75 and covers one or more events.

NO DEPOSIT = NO CONFIRMED PLACE

Deposit Terms and Conditions can be found HERE

Not everyone will have to pay a deposit.  There is a criteria a volunteer much reach in order to be exempt from this requirement.  Our decision is final.  Once you have submitted an application we will email you with information of our deposit requirements from you.

Permit to work

Another new introduction for 2012 will be the need to provide proof of your entitlement to work in the UK.  Original documents must be provided and these will be kept in a safe in the festival offices until you leave site.  There are various forms of identification you can provide and more information can be found HERE.

2012

So what’s the plan for 2012? What can you apply for? And when? Questions questions …..

Applications for 2012 events are now live.  Current event opportunities are Sonisphere, Bloodstock, 2000Trees and Headstock.  We are still in discussions with some events which will be added and mailed out as and when they are confirmed.

To see current vacancies and to apply please go HERE

If you have already volunteered for events in 2012 and/or volunteered and provided feedback for any of our 2011 events and stated that you wish to be considered for the same event in 2012, you will get a separate email in the new year confirming this and giving more information, so you don’t have to apply again.  If you are worried we have missed you please feel free to contact us HERE

Once again we will be using advanced online team picking.  This worked really well this year and meant people didn’t lose out on a preferred team just because they couldn’t arrive early.  Allowing team choices before the event is still a first come first served set up but this way is much fairer and helps a lot with our behind the scenes planning.  More information will be given nearer the time.

Our General Terms and Conditions can be found HERE

Other – Non BFG Related stuff

Some of you will have already noticed that I have been doing some voluntary work with animal shelters and helping to tackle the problem of stray dogs and the numbers of these healthy dogs who get put to sleep every day simply for the want of a home and some love.

If you or anyone you know is thinking about getting a new pet, please suggest they have a look around some local Animal Shelters before buying a puppy from a breeder, there are more puppies abandoned than people think!

And if anyone you know has the room and time to foster a dog, it’s a great way to do something great for an unloved dog at minimal cost.  When fostering, vets bills, treatments and food costs are usually covered by the Rescue Shelter you are fostering with, so it really can be a win win situation and a massive help!

If anyone is interested in getting more involved in helping animals and shelters, there is a great forum you can join, and offer help such as transporting, homechecking and fundraising.  http://forum.rescuehelpersunite.co.uk/index.php

Thanks so much for reading this newsletter and hopefully see you in a field soon!