Glastonbury cancellation 'big hit' for Greenpeace

This year's festival was called off in January 2021 due to the pandemic

Two years without the Glastonbury Festival has meant "a big financial hit" for environmental charity Greenpeace.

Glastonbury usually takes place on the last weekend of June but was cancelled in 2021 and 2020, due to Covid-19.

Founder Michael Eavis is one of its biggest donors, often giving up to £500,000 after each festival.

Greenpeace's Bob Wilson said it had also missed having a key opportunity to "sign up new supporters".

Bob Wilson from Greenpeace, (right), said Michael Eavis (left) first invited the charity to Glastonbury in 1991

Hundreds of thousands of people would have descended on the Somerset farm if the festival had gone ahead this weekend.

Mr Wilson, who is the charity's events manager, said: "That single donation makes up quite a big chunk of our annual income, so only having one Glastonbury festival in the last four years has been a big financial hit for us."

The organisation has been a staple part of the festival, which usually takes place in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, since 1991.

Mr Eavis wrote to Lord Peter Melchett, the then CEO of Greenpeace 30 years ago, inviting the charity and its supporters to his festival.

The Greenpeace field at Glastonbury offers education and activities for thousands of festival-goers each year

Over time their role changed, eventually leading to a Greenpeace field dedicated to environmental education and awareness.

Mr Wilson said: "We were quite pleased to join as it gave us access to a very large crowd even then, like-minded people and right from the word go Michael gave Greenpeace a donation.

"We went from selling badges and t-shirts and things like that in a little tent to eventually Michael saying 'would you like to run a field?' It just grew from there really. It's become quite a destination field now."

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, talks to the Glastonbury Greenpeace crew before the area is opened to the public

The largest music festival in the UK, Glastonbury offers charities the opportunity to spread the message about their work to up to 200,000 people in one weekend.

Mr Wilson said one particular year "we got 80,000 people signed up across the site, which is no mean feat".

He said that in other years "we gave lunch to the Dalai Lama".

"We gave lunch to [former Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn as he wrote his speech in the corner. It all adds to the very important brand awareness and the fact that the donations are important."

Glastonbury has a "fallow" year every five years, but Mr Wilson said with these extra two events called off, organisers "immediately started to think about us".

The festival team has raised money for Greenpeace, WaterAid and Oxfam by collaborating on a line of merchandise following 2020's cancellation and through its Live at Worthy Farm online event in May, with plans to donate from its upcoming camping season at the site.

Glastonbury Festival has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic

WaterAid and Oxfam are also prominent charities at the festival who benefit from donations and sign-ups.

WaterAid's Anna Hedges said it had been a festival partner for 26 years: "During which time we have received more than £2.5m in generous donations to help transform lives with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene."

She thanked Michael and Emily Eavis and the team "for their ongoing commitment and support".

Mr Wilson said he was grateful for the extra help from the team during the pandemic.

"So they've tried to keep it ticking over, but the loss is there for everyone to realise," he said.

"We miss the community, I guess, more than anything; everybody coming together from all over the world to work with us and to meet us.

"We can't wait for another proper, 'normal' Glastonbury, both for the financial boost it gives us, and because it's the best party in the world."

The Glastonbury site is to be transformed into a "family-friendly campsite" over the school holidays.

In January Emily and Michael Eavis confirmed the 2021 cancellation and that anyone with a ticket would be offered the opportunity to roll their £50 deposit over to next year, when the festival will hopefully resume.