Sarah's Glastonbury Diary 2007

My Glastonbury highlights

2007-06-27T15:46:00.001+01:00

Now that I have recovered from the mud and mayhem of Glastonbury I can reflect on what was probably the wettest weekend of my life. I managed to catch some great bands but also missed quite a few - so many bands, so many stages - it would be impossible to see all of them. I skipped The Killers to see Iggy Pop but he was such a legend I think I made the right choice. Bat For Lashes in the John Peel tent was the most moving and the Artic Monkeys the most upbeat.

The Oxfam team were amazing to work with and it was so inspiring to hear we got over 45,000 signatures. Everyone from the stewards to the people on the sari mela stall worked with a smile on their face despite the atrocious weather conditions.

I enjoyed embracing the spirit of Glastonbury, dressing up and exploring the weird and the wonderful variety of arenas.

The thing I will remember most about my experience will undoubtedly be the MUD! However there was a brilliant camaraderie and amazing spirit from all who were there.

Would I go back? After washing all my mud-covered clothes, having a long hot soak in the bath, resting my weary legs (from incessant mud-trudging) and having a good nights kip, would I go again next year? Just try and stop me!

Who are you?

2007-06-25T20:19:00.000+01:00

My last night at Glastonbury began with a bit of Shirley Bassey. The crowd went to town dressing up for the musical diva with many a chap squeezed into a ladies frock. The Oxfam fancy dress stall had a run of blokes snapping up evening gowns, so my sari look was not out of place.

After Shirley's set the Welsh flags stayed aloft for the Manic Street Preachers, then the Pyramid Stage got lairy with the Kaisers. The festival came to a close with The Who and, despite the rain, the crowd were wowed, watching under their brollies and holding candle torches.

The rain continued to lash down throughout the night and was particularly heavy at 5am when we chose to dismantle our tent. The trudge back to the car with luggage was made worthwhile by the warmth and mudlessness of the car. On the radio on the drive home we heard that 1,500 people were suffering from mud-related injuries!

The people at Glatonbury have really been brilliant and the atmosphere was always upbeat despite the weather. Over 45,000 amazing folk signed our climate change petition over the festival, bringing in a total of 70,000 signatures for the I Count coalition - an astounding job. I will be back tomorrow for my round up but now I am going to have a well deserved warm bath.

Sunshine at last

2007-06-24T16:12:00.001+01:00

The sun is finally shining and our campaigners are doing their last shifts to collect petition signatures. The hardy souls have really braved the elements this weekend and have done a cracking job.

I have been to the park this afternoon and there are loads of people there chilling out in the sun. I made a wish at the wizards wishing tree for world leaders to address climate change. I also paid a visit to the super friendly chaps at the Oxfam sari mela to buy a little number to wear for Shirley Bassey later. On my way back to the Oxfam stall I passed through the Circus arena to observe all the fun of the fair. Trapeze artists, belly dancers and street performers all doing their thing in knee deep mud.

Oh, and I just spotted Gazza out and about - fog on the Tyne!

Wedding belles

2007-06-24T13:32:00.000+01:00

There is an age old Glasto tradition of dressing up in bridal attire and we were only too happy to give it a go. The Oxfam stalls here have a fab selection of second hand wedding dresses and tuxedos for a tenner which sell like hot cakes. Becs and I managed to get ourselves some cracking dresses and our ‘husband to be’ Stuart got himself a rather smart tux and a couple of Oxfam badges did the job as cufflinks.

Our big day began with a trip to the John Peel tent to see Bat For Lashes, an awe-inspiring musical experience from the super talented Natasha Khan. Then it was on to the weird and wonderful Lost Vagueness where being in fancy dress is the norm. There is actually a wedding chapel there where people can pretend to get married, nothing legally binding I might add, but it was closed when we arrived. We still enjoyed dressing up, and it was all for a good cause.

We have set up an Oxfam unwrapped wedding list all the same, so if anyone wants to contribute there are brilliant gifts on there, including providing people with safe drinking water or a toilet.

We finished the evening by watching the living legend that is Iggy Pop and The Stooges. He really rocked and had fun inviting half the crowd up on stage with him. On our way back to our campsite we stopped in at backstage where I managed to slip over in the mud. Luckily a very helpful band helped me up and said that Luke from The Kooks had just done exactly the same thing!

Green fields

2007-06-24T13:26:00.000+01:00

Up in the Green futures and Tipi fields there is a brilliant vibe and lots to see. I spotted some Green police who are scattered around the festival, making sure people pick up their rubbish.

Apparently today 50,000 extra loo rolls have been brought onsite, as the original supply of 160,000 rolls has run out! Glastonbury is full to capacity now and even though the weather is so bad everyone is having a brilliant time. Our campaigners are doing really well and have managed to get 30,000 signatures so far - amazing stuff!

Embrace the mud!

2007-06-23T13:09:00.000+01:00

Friday was a really good day despite the onslaught of rain and massive quagmire. The way forward is definitely to embrace the mud - trying to stay clean is futile.

The Magic Numbers were great and their laidback Californian tunes even enticed the sun out for a brief spell.
The Fratellis got everyone jumping around to Chelsea, Chelsea, causing even more mud splattering. By the Arctic Monkeys’ set there were many mud caked revellers with full body coverage and the odd cheeky mud handprint. This morning I spotted several lone wellies embedded in the mud, I wondered why there was a stall here selling odd wellies!

There are some great bands on today, think I will check out the rocking line up at the Pyramid tonight: Paul Weller, The Kooks and The Killers.

The rain has just let off so I’m off to explore the tipi and green fields.

Together Glastonbury will make a big difference

2007-06-22T13:59:00.000+01:00

Photo credit: Pete Axford/Oxfam

Last night Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis held a press conference alongside speakers from Greenpeace, Oxfam and Water Aid and pledged his support to the I Count climate change campaign. Michael also announced his plans to erect a 100kw solar panel on his cowshed, which will be the biggest in the South West of England and will produce enough power for several villages. All the more reason to pray for sunshine over Worthy Farm!

The whole festival is really geared towards eco living; there are recycling bins just about everywhere you go, then of course there are the long drops, very stinky but biodegradeable, and there are loads of banners and information about steps people can take to reduce their carbon footprints. Eavis himself said last night “Together Glastonbury will make a big difference.”

Last night they also unveiled an artistic representation of cutting personal carbon emissions by the Glasto artist in residence Kurt Jackson. 15 additional ‘carbon footsteps’ will be customised by various artists over the coming weekend. Kurt’s artworks from the lasto Glasto were recently auctioned, raising over £50K for Oxfam. Nice one Kurt!

After a night of torrential downpours the sun is actually shining and the mud-splattered folk are eager for the bands to kick-off. I'm looking forward to The Magic Numbers this aft.

Day one at camp Glasto

2007-06-21T16:47:00.000+01:00

...and the mud and rain are living up to expectations. I’m so glad I bought some wellies, I’d have been knee deep by now without them. I managed to get a good night's sleep despite the wind howling around our pod tent.

I am amazed by the sheer amount of people already here - there is a vast sea of tents as far as the eye can see. According to organisers at 9am there were already 74,292 people here, that’s nearly 27,000 more than at that stage in 2005.

This morning the Oxfam tent opened for (campaigning) business and it’s in a great location - right next to the awesome pyramid stage. As well as selling Fair Trade goodies there is a ‘carbon gym’ to demonstrate carbon emissions.

Sam Balch from Global Action Plan showed my on the rowing machine the volume of carbon used by different modes of transport to travel 2km. The orange balloon represents air travel, which uses five times more carbon than travelling by train (the white balloon).

I’m currently sheltering with our friends from Greenpeace, enjoying a nice warming cup of tea and a ginger nut. I’m raring to get back out as there is a great vibe, just as soon as that rain eases off…

Singing in the rain?

2007-06-18T11:27:00.000+01:00

I’ve checked every online weather forecast imaginable and all of them show the same dreaded symbol… rain. It looks like we are in for a really wet one so I’d best invest in a good pair of wellies. We're trying not to let the weather dampen our spirits and, you never know, the forecasters could have it wrong.

Even if Glasto becomes one great big bog there will still be loads to see and do. If you fancy a bit of retail therapy to cheer your spirits then check out all the Oxfam stalls which will be selling everything from saris to wedding dresses, although a plastic poncho may be a more practical option.

If you're feeling drained from all that rain our carbon gym will be a great place to burn some energy, plus it will be dry in there. We will have special exercise bikes and weights to demonstrate how climate change is hitting the world’s poorest people hardest.

Preparing for my first ever Glasto!

2007-06-13T12:19:00.000+01:00

There’s only a week to go now before my first ever trip to Glastonbury. I’ve heard the hype, and seen the photos of knee-deep mud and underwater campsites, now I’m going to live the experience for myself and see what it’s really like. I had a dummy run last weekend at the Isle of Wight festival so I have an inkling of what I’m in for. At least, so I have been told, there are actually showers at Glastonbury. The ‘en suite’ at the IOW consisted of a cold tap in a boggy field (see pic).

I’m going to meet some great folk, enjoy the vibe and report back on Oxfam’s campaigning work, which this year is all about climate change. The ‘hardships’ at a festival (which most people pay a lot of money to endure) really pale into insignificance when you see what effects climate change is already having on people in developing countries.

More than a billion people in Asia could be without fresh water by 2050 if nothing is done to help them and carbon emissions from bigger countries like the UK are not drastically reduced. We are welcoming people to come along and sign our petition at all the festivals this summer - add your name and demand change.

On the climate change theme, I am going to be as carbon neutral as possible at Glasto, starting with leaving my loo rolls at home. Organisers are giving out free recycled loo rolls - here’s hoping they don’t run out. Travelling there by public transport or cramming loads of people into one car are also good ways to start.

I’m looking forward to seeing some great bands and have my fingers crossed that the rain stays away. See you there…