As the fields surrounding Worthy Farm in Pilton prepare for 200,000 revellers to embrace this year’s musical line-up whilst basking in Somerset’s finest summer sunshine (please no more mud!), Rachel Mead takes a look at the wider picture and explores the positive effect that Glastonbury Festival has for our county.
Whether you’re donning your wellies and dancing your way around the 900-acre site of Glastonbury Festival or embracing the music from the comfort of your sofa, there is no disputing that the weekend of June 26-30 sees the spotlight firmly shining on Somerset.
Established in 1970, Pilton farmer, Michael Eavis first opened up Worthy Farm to around 1500 music fans for a weekend of ‘Pop, Folk & Blues’. Tickets were a £1 in those days, and that entry price even included free milk from the farm, whilst an Ox Roast was on the billing as the nourishment to keep your feet dancing! Fast forward 54-years and Pilton will this year see the arrival of 200,000 music lovers who will have paid around £355 so they can revel in the top line acts including Shania Twain, Coldplay, Dua Lipa and SZA; food options will of course be plentiful.
The festival is without doubt, iconic. Broadcast across the BBC on both TV and radio, it was watched by a record-breaking 23.2 million people last year, seeing an 8% rise to 2022. Impressive stats which are bolstered by the festival’s continued charitable work as 2023 saw the festival raising nearly 4 million pounds; an achievement which has not gone unnoticed as Michael headed to Buckingham Palace to meet Princess Anne this April to receive a knighthood to add to his CBE. When asked how he felt about becoming ‘Sir Michael’ he said: ‘Well, when I was a boy, I did rather like all the King Arthur stories with Sir Lancelot and everyone. That was always very fun to me!’
In addition to celebrating his knighthood, Sir Michael has also been toasting the completion of another 20 social houses in Pilton, bringing the total number of houses built on land donated by Eavis and using stone from Worthy Farm to 52. ‘I’ve been in the village all my life and I’ve seen all the council houses sold off, so there were no houses left to rent for working people. And private renting can be a nightmare. I think it’s so important to have a permanent stock of houses to rent at an affordable price. So that was the most important thing for me to do in this village really. Gary Linekar came down to open them and he did a marvellous job. Of all the things I’ve done in my life, this is the one I’m most proud of.’
The charity work doesn’t stop there. Every year Glastonbury Festival makes substantial donations to help those facing challenges across the world. Oxfam, WaterAid and Greenpeace are the three long-standing joint charity partners, but what perhaps isn’t so widely recognised is the positive impact that the festival also has on our immediate community too. For example, this year will see the completion of the new Breast Cancer Unit at Yeovil District Hospital, a cause which Glastonbury Festival supported alongside further donations towards the 25th anniversary appeal of the Somerset NHS Charity to help fund equipment and materials in healthcare centres across Somerset. Head of charity at Somerset NHS Charity, James Kirton said, ‘The support for the breast cancer unit appeal from Glastonbury Festival was a real boost and helped us to get the appeal to where it is, with building work now well underway. We have raised over £2.6 million in total and although we are now bringing the appeal to a close, support is still coming from right across our wonderful community. Having the support of such an iconic event was really important in raising the profile of the appeal and motivating others to give. It was a lot of money in itself, but it was also fantastic that they thought of their local NHS and were able to use some festival funds to make a difference for local NHS patients. Having breast cancer, or being told you might have it, is terrifying, so having a dedicated unit where patients have space and time to come to terms with what they are being told, is crucial. We will always be grateful to the team at Glastonbury Festival for supporting such an important local project.’
The worthy causes benefitting from Worthy Farm’s successes are far-reaching across the county. With many of the festival crew also coming from Bristol, donations have been made to various projects in the city including anti-poverty charities such as Feeding Bristol and Young Bristol. Similarly, The Trussel Trust in Cheddar Valley, Bridgwater and Taunton also received £116,000 after the festival organised an online auction for the charity who support a community of food banks whilst also providing practical support to people who can’t afford daily essentials.
And as we look at the town of Glastonbury itself, the festival has also been supporting The Food Forest Project. Tristan Faith is the founder: ‘Glastonbury Festival reached out to us as they shared our concerns regarding food poverty, and biodiversity loss in Somerset. Their support has meant we’ve been able to extend our food bank market garden this year to grow free food for more food banks, but also St Ben’s primary school, in Glastonbury where 76 children live in households below the poverty line.’ The Somerset based charity is dedicated to creating sustainable growing spaces that not only provide an abundance of fresh, organic food but also serve as vibrant community hubs. Tristan says: 'We are sowing the seeds of change. By fostering the growth of these lush, edible landscapes, we empower communities to combat food insecurity, promote environmental sustainability, and promote a sense of togetherness. You can join us in our mission to transform barren spaces into thriving oases of nutrition, learning, and connection. Together, we can cultivate hope and nourish the future.’
The spotlights may at first glance be on the music stars on the stage, but it can never be doubted that the team at Worthy Farm always have a spotlight firmly focused on key issues affecting our immediate community, 'Glastonbury Festival is thrilled to have supported a range of incredible causes last year. We’d like to thank all our festival-goers, crew and volunteers, without whom it wouldn’t have been possible to make these donations and support these worthy causes.'
