Random Thoughts: Volunteer at Cheltenham Literature Festival

Posted December 12, 2015 by Charlotte in Random Thoughts / 0 Comments

Volunteer at Cheltenham Literature Festival

It’s been over a month since I was a Volunteer at Cheltenham Literature Festival, and I can not believe how much time has flown. I’ve been meaning for ages and ages to post this post, but I couldn’t get into words what I wanted to say.

This post started ridiculously long and could have been several posts. But in the end I’ve managed to write a single post. This is my highlights, the moments of the festival.

Cheltenham Literature Festival Cheltenham Literature Festival

 

The Upsides:

Being a Volunteer at Cheltenham Literature Festival was one of the best decisions I ever made, using up my holiday allowance (and perhaps a little more, oops!). From letting Mary Beard wonder around the festival with a glass of wine in hand, to pretending to be effective crowd control for Ronnie Wood and pretending to be a photographer for Alice Baxter and Mary Portas, and driving some of the writers around Cheltenham, pretending I knew where I was going…

Cheltenham Literature Festival

I loved meeting the writers and being able to listen to their talks as well as volunteering at the same time. I felt that I was able to participate in the festival and take so much from it not only in gaining experience about the behind-the-scenes but also to see the festival from the audience’s perspective.

 

Cheltenham Literature FestivalCheltenham Literature FestivalCheltenham Literature Festival

 

The Downsides:

For me the hardest bit of the festival was the ‘get in’ and ‘get out’ – basically the bits where we had to lug furniture about and off/onto moving vans, which was hard work. But there was something quite satisfying in thinking that all our hard work would pay off, that and the fact that the quicker we worked the sooner we would be fed! Food is the best motivator.

This was a hands-on experience and if you put the work in it was so so rewarding. The hours may have been long but it didn’t seem to matter. as we got to listen to our favourite authors speak passionately about a subject, try something new but more importantly do something that we love.

The craziness of it all…

I feel like this post doesn’t quite do the festival justice, there is so much to talk about and so many things left to say, or things that I have forgotten, this is where I wish I’d kept a diary or have been a bit more proactive in taking photos! But I can certainly say that this is one of my best decisions this year, and I’m hoping and praying that I’ll get a chance to volunteer at the festival next year.

But for now I ended the festival in high spirits, a little tired and probably with too many books to add to my TBR pile. But it would have been strange to have gone to a book festival and not have brought anything…

Cheltenham Literature Festival

Would you ever consider being a Volunteer at Cheltenham Literature Festival? Have you ever volunteered at a festival?

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