Whether you have never helped before or are an old hand, you are most welcome.

There are lots of different jobs to do at the Festival – some are obvious, some less so. The following will give you a few more details on the Festival and some ideas of the various roles – have a read and see if any suit you. Not all are dealing with the public and most don't need any experience, as training will be given on site.

General

The Festival uses two halls:
• Main Hall Here you can find the real ale bars, cider & perry bar, glasses, tombola/pub games and products/membership. There is limited seating but in the evenings the balcony is open to provide extra seating (drinks are allowed but no food). Entrance is through the foyer.
• Side Hall With the kitchen, foreign beer bar and seating. Two tables are reserved for volunteer eating. If the queues are long, volunteer can use the back door of the kitchen to get their food. Volunteer get a 50% off food voucher for each morning and evening you work.
• At the back of the stage is the Green Room, where the Volunteers Office is and where volunteer can leave bags and coats (no valuables, as it is not a secure area). It also provides a quiet area for volunteer on breaks.

The Festival opens:
• Wednesday from noon until 3pm and then from 5pm until 10.30pm. There is a volunteer beer bar once the public leave at lunchtime and again when we close in the evenings.
• Thursday from noon until 3pm and then from 5pm until 10.30pm. At 3.30pm, there is a trade session (with selected London beers available), which volunteers are welcome to attend. There is a volunteer beer bar once the public leave in the evenings.
• Friday we are open all day so there is only a volunteer bar in the evening after closing. Friday is a little different in that we take the bar counters down at the end of the night and clean them before the bar is open.

Set Up

People are needed from 7.45am on the Monday to help unload the lorry, which brings the equipment that we need to run the Festival; everything from beers taps to cooking pots. Not all of this is heavy lifting – and as long as you can manage a sack truck, you’ll certainly be valued.

During the day the beer and other stuff arrives. There is a lot of rolling barrels, setting the barrels up (using a cask lifter) and other beery tasks. But there are also other jobs like picking items up from pubs nearby, putting up posters and counting stock!

Monday is the busiest day and although people are also needed on Tuesday, do be prepared for times of activity followed by lots of sitting around! Some free beer is provided at lunchtimes on both set up days but the kitchen will not be up and running so a trip to a nearby pub for lunch or a walk to a shop for a sandwich or bring your own, to keep the energy up.
Tuesday evening the North London branch has a social nearby which everyone is welcome to join. It normally starts around 6.30pm.

Take down

This takes place on Saturday. We go on site at 9am and there is lots to do: taking down casks, cleaning taps and buckets, removing posters and counting stock. Plenty of jobs for everyone, even if you can’t lift. And the incentive is the volunteer party with a hearty home cooked meal (vegetarians are catered for). We have a system whereby the people who get in the earliest, get served first so there is an incentive to get out of bed!

When the Festival is open

General
We welcome all volunteers and in most areas, no experience or knowledge is needed. The volunteering form is broken down into set times but if you are unable to do a full session, that is fine; just write in the time you can do. Our busiest times are around 6pm to 8.30pm and any help during these times is welcome but we are often short later in the evenings. On the odd occasions where we have too many volunteers, we will give priority to volunteers that have completed a volunteer form in advance. Volunteers that have not pre registered may be asked to return at a later time so please register if you can.

We get access to the site each morning from 9am. We are one of the very few festivals to do the food ourselves – and we have received many accolades for it! We always need a few bodies to help cut and butter our infamous rolls so if you fancy giving a hand, your help would be very welcome even if you want to work in a different area for the rest of the day.

Roles

• Bar: Real Ale, Cider & Perry
Probably what most people think of when they volunteer to help. No experience necessary; all training will be given on site.
• Imported Beer
Knowledge of Belgium and Dutch beer is useful to be able to understand what customers are asking for! This year, we will also be having some American beers too.
• Food
As the Festival does its own food, we need people who can chop veg etc; serve up the food and wash up. It might not seem glamorous but the team are probably the most fun to work with and you never go hungry or thirsty with a plentiful supply of beer provided. If you don’t like dealing with the public, this might be an area to suit you
• Stewarding
The CAMRA stewarding team work hand in hand with the Hall’s team managing the door and public entrance as well as keeping an eye on visitors in the two halls and balcony. We have quite a few stewards who have professional stewarding qualifications but novices who want to learn are more than welcome.
• Tombola/Pub Games
Sense of humour and fun is all that is required to help in this area. No previous experience necessary – just a smile!
• Products/membership
If you can sell, then this for you. You don’t need to know the products or details of the membership package. Training will be provided.
• Glasses
Probably the busiest section at times. This involves selling glasses, giving deposits back and washing them. A cool head under pressure is useful otherwise, no experience is required.
So if you fancy giving us a hand, just fill in the volunteering form you'll find on the website and look forward to seeing you!