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You are here: Home / Community / Glastonbury 2014 Ramblings

Glastonbury 2014 Ramblings

July 1, 2014 By Roger Clark 9 Comments

My wife Lyn and I worked at Glastonbury for a charity called Festival Medical Services (FMS). I worked as a driver and Lyn a first aider.

FMS are responsible for providing medical services ranging from first-aid and paramedic to surgery and psychiatry.

Roger at Glastonbury as a driver for Festival Medical Services.  © Roger Clark
Roger at Glastonbury 2014 as a driver for Festival Medical Services. © Roger Clark

The staff enjoyed a campsite away from the Festival goers with private showers and canteen. Shifts were allocated ahead of the Festival and time to enjoy the Bands was limited.

The medic staff included volunteer GPs, consultants, nurses, paramedics, ambulance drivers, dentists, and psychiatrists mainly from the NHS.

Glastonbury 2014. © Roger Clark
Glastonbury 2014. © Roger Clark

Glastonbury: sunshine, mud, and snores

We arrived midweek to glorious sunshine at Glastonbury. Campers were happily renewing friendships over a G&T, but there was a certain anxiety about the impending weather. Chances are when you ask somebody how the Festival was, it’s the weather that gets mentioned first.

A lesser anxiety is coping with half the amount of sleep; the usual noise suspects are party people chatting in the early hours, pounding music up to the dawn, and babies waking just after dawn.

However one tends to cope with short deep sleep, which can be either tiredness or alcohol induced.

Glastonbury 2014. © Roger Clark
Glastonbury 2014. © Roger Clark

Snoring can be an issue with some. We caught this conversation as two men passed our tent:

“…so how’s your wife’s snoring problem?”

The other responded: “It’s still really bad. I just don’t know what to do now. I recorded her snoring and played it back to her. What did she do? She then secretly recorded me snoring and passed the player back to me!”

Festival folk are so interesting to watch and listen to. There was one girl talking to her friend:

“Look I want you to know that when I am drunk I will tell you I don’t care about you. But really I do, so I thought I should let you know now.”

Glastonbury 2014.  © Roger Clark
Glastonbury 2014. © Roger Clark

The heavens opened up on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tolerance to mud increased – it had to. Somehow mud even collected in the sleeping bag maybe because the nights were cold and we didn’t change.

“Are you ok?”

As a photographer it’s fun to go out into the rain and take images of people struggling with the mud, which slowly changed from boggy to a chocolate fountain texture.

Some people thought I was mad using a camera in the rain. A sweet Samaritan lady approached me to ask if I needed their services! That’s true.

Change of demographics at Glastonbury. © Roger Clark
Change of demographics at Glastonbury. © Roger Clark

Change of demographics at Glastonbury

This year there appeared to be a change of demographics.

The founder of the Glastonbury Festival, Michael Eavis, is trying to attract a younger set using social media to meet this end. The hippie generation are on the decline.

Interesting now to wander the campsites and see so many young girls with their make-up mirrors making themselves flashy by fitting extra-long eye lashes. They are a different tribe.

And what happened to the fashion wellies this year? Little opportunity for my favourite image of boots and mud.

Glastonbury 2014 .  © Roger Clark
Glastonbury 2014. © Roger Clark

Sunday is my favourite time to wander around the festival site. There are street performers out to create a carnival atmosphere.

Festival goers responded with a myriad of dress statements. This time the weather asked for forgiveness and flattered us with long sunny spells.

At one point I wandered into a tent, called the Left Field, where a well attended discussion panel was in motion.

Glastonbury 2014: An audience with Ken Livingstone. © Roger Clark
Glastonbury 2014: An audience with Ken Livingstone. © Roger Clark

An audience with Ken Livingstone

I listened to Ken Livingstone pleading to young people in the audience to vote for a change of Government. From personal knowledge he talked of the qualities and the respect he has for Ed Milliband. Then he said he had never told a lie in his life.

But Ken you just did!

I left. Later I passed a message board that said: “It’s Etonians that are the problem not the Romanians.” Enough was enough so I headed for the Cider Bar.

Glastonbury 2014.  © Roger Clark
Glastonbury 2014. © Roger Clark

Glastonbury: sweet and bubbly wine

Each Glastonbury Festival can be compared to a wine vintage. Good years and better years.

As a wine Glastonbury 2014 certainly couldn’t be described as a dry white but sweet and bubbly maybe? Yes, absolutely, thanks to Dolly Parton – the Queen of Country Music!


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About Roger Clark

Another Chandler's Ford ex-IBMer who is just learning to say NO to volunteer opportunities. Enjoyed flying and sailing after retirement but now golf and wildlife photography in the ascendancy. I do feel responsible for putting something back into the Community or organisations that I have enjoyed. Hence I have an active interest in the Hiltingbury Community Organisation and the Hilt, Winchester Photographic Society, South Winchester Golf Club, Festival Medical Services, and a charity called Ovacome.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenni says

    July 1, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    Very fun article and brilliant photos! I can just imagine being there! Thank you

    Reply
    • Janet Williams says

      July 1, 2014 at 10:27 pm

      Thank you for your comment, Jenni. I agree it’s such a fine post from Roger, who travelled all the way from Hiltingbury to Glastonbury. Sweet and bubbly and muddy – what a great event and the post is so entertaining. Thank you Roger.

      Reply
  2. Mike Sedgwick says

    July 2, 2014 at 1:50 am

    Hope you did not have to deal with too many medical problems like sunburn or near drowning.

    Fancy Ken Livingstone being there. Bet he did not enjoy it; he doesn’t seem to enjoy anything. What was his opinion of Dolly Paton?

    Reply
    • Roger Clark says

      July 2, 2014 at 8:57 pm

      Hi Mike – this year it was fractures (yes, as well as the usual alcohol and drugs). There were even two fractures within our medical team.

      Ken did not like a camera in his face. I had a similar problem with Jagger last year. Ken was asleep in my first photo. He didn’t mention Dolly but he did go on about our problems started when we cut the working week. Could you imagine how he grimaced when Dolly sang ‘Nine to Five’!!!!

      Take care
      Roger

      Reply
      • Janet Williams says

        July 2, 2014 at 9:02 pm

        Yes – that photo of Jagger. Roger, would you like to show us that picture and tell us something more about it? Thanks.

        Reply

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