Max Monsen writes about his experience volunteering for Tonic at Boomtown.
HARRODS AND TONIC
We luxuriated on vintage Harrods sofas, our drinks were upheld by beautiful occasional tables, and our nights were lit by a collection of warm lamps. Sheltered from the sun by three marquees, our phones were fully charged and our appetites fully sated thanks to our free meal vouchers. We had showers (sometimes even twice a day): we worked hard, but we played even harder.
THE JOB
My role included selling clothes at the Tonic stand and processing (legal) confiscated items such as gas-cannisters and high-vis tops. The confiscated items were passed to us by security, and we stored them for the customer much like you would do in a cloakroom – it was very simple work. I arrived early on Tuesday and worked six-hour shifts on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I had the whole of Saturday and Sunday off before working again on Monday after the festival to assist with returning confiscated items to customers.
THE PEOPLE
The Tonic family spans three-generations proving that you are never too young or old to volunteer with the team. The common denominator amongst all volunteers was a shared love of music, and this meant that there were interesting conversations to be had throughout the evening and in quiet moments whilst on shift.
WHY SHOULD YOU VOLUNTEER?
At Boomtown 2022, the management team at Tonic provided the volunteers with an oasis of calm amongst the dust-filled chaos and fun. If you are curious about working at a festival or want to learn more about the charity and the work that we do, I strongly encourage you to get in touch. The people in Team Tonic are uncommonly kind, exceedingly generous and, most importantly, a welcoming and caring bunch of people to associate yourself with. The charity does some phenomenal work and has a very bright and exciting future ahead of itself.
Disclaimer:
You have to be 18+ to volunteer with Tonic (so there is such a thing as being too young).
The sofas were over 40 years old, and donated – we do not have the resource or inclination to purchase such things.
Showering was not compulsory…
