Hello, I’m Jennie and we’re the Davies family! We volunteered for Elderflower Fields for the first time in 2022. We’d been to the festival with our eldest when he was 6 years old (now 13y) and have fond memories. It’s the perfect first festival for little ones, with the ideal mix of music and activities.
When I saw EF was looking for volunteers and accepted families, I thought this would be a fantastic experience for us to be involved together. I was a little worried we’d gone crazy, especially committing to volunteering with 2-year-old twins tagging along. But we do like a challenge. What’s the worst that can happen?’
With a car filled with camping gear, we arrived on site on the Thursday before the festival officially opened. We set up basecamp and attended the volunteers’ meeting at the fabulous bar, Moonshine Fandango. It gave us a chance to meet the other volunteers and learn more about how the weekend would proceed. Everyone is so friendly and we soon felt part of the family. It was nice to see there was a mix of newbies and people who come back year after year. And after experiencing the festival you soon understand why they return.
The weekend went a lot smoother than we thought it would. The kids weren’t fazed by my husband and I playing tag over the weekend, each working a 6-hour shift per day. The event organisers were really accommodating and ensured that one of us was always free to be with the twins. I was put on an amazing team, Ticketing, and my husband worked on Accreditation. I loved my role and it was fun to dress up in my sparkly festival attire and welcome ticket holders on their arrival. The vibe is amazing as everyone is so excited to be there. It’s not overcrowded and is very family-orientated. It feels very safe.
And the kids loved it. Since the day we left, they’ve been asking “when are we going back to our festival, is it next week?” There’s so much for little ones to do with a wide range of activities that are suitable for all ages. My eldest (who suffers from social anxiety and, amazingly, was at ease the whole time we were there) loved all the food stalls and exploring the festival with friends, and the twins were content with riding the toy cars in the Wow Pow field and getting mucky in the mud kitchens.
As well as the kids, we had our trusty red wagon, which was an absolute lifesaver and was by far our favourite and most used item of the weekend. When the twins were tired they would just climb in and we could easily pull them around the festival. Even though it’s a small festival, you still do a lot of walking and that can be tough for toddlers. We made the wagon cosy with lots of blankets and at night we lit it up with battery-powered lights so that it was easily visible in the dark.
Volunteering at Elderflower fields was a wonderful experience for all of us and we absolutely can not wait to be back there this year. Hope to see you there!
Jennie x
Applications for 2023 close mid March – find out more here!
