Campaigning:
Frequently Asked Questions 2012

This used to be called the drop out date. This is the last date you can tell us you need to drop out without losing your full deposit (minus an admin fee). Please let us know as soon as possible if you can no longer attend a festival; this will give us more chance of replacing you.

Below is a list of our festivals and our cancellation dates.

This information may be subject to change. We will email you about any changes to the dates below, which may happen, for example, if the festival tells us we need to submit names earlier.

If you cancel your application before 25 April, then you will receive your full deposit back.

If you cancel before the cancellation deadline for that festival, you will lose a £20 admin fee per festival from your deposit. (However, if you cancel two or more festivals at the same time before the cancellation date, you will only lose £40 of your deposit.)

If you cancel after the cancellation deadline, you could lose your entire deposit. Please see 'Cancellation policy explained' below.

We have calculated how much money it cost Oxfam every time someone cancels, in terms of administration, arranging an early refund, finding someone to replace them, and all the staff hours and communications involved. This fee covers these costs.

We usually have to submit the names of our volunteers at least three weeks prior to each festival, sometimes earlier.

We have learnt by experience that when volunteers cancel their places, it’s really difficult to fill them again. We need as much time as possible to find replacements and inform them accordingly.

If you don't turn up, and have made no effort to contact us, or have no good reason, you will lose you full deposit, and your place at future festivals will be cancelled.

If you can't make it to a festival at the last minute because of illness, or some other unavoidable complication, please call us to let us know. If you provide a valid sick note or other documentary evidence, we will consider your case regarding getting your deposit back, minus an admin fee.

If you need to cancel at the last minute because of illness and we are already onsite, please call the onsite mobile number which will be included in your pre-festival information. It is highly unlikely we will see any e-mails until we are back from the festival.

Cancelling before the cancellation date
For each festival you cancel before the cancellation date, you will lose £20 of your deposit up to your full deposit. However, if you cancel two or more festivals before the cancellation date at the same time, you will only lose £40 of your deposit.

Cancelling after the cancellation date
If you cancel one or more festivals after their cancellation dates, you will lose your full deposit. If you cancel one or more festivals after the cancellation date, but have a place at a future festival, we may contact you to assess your reliability for future festivals. If we decide to give you your place at a future festival and you work all your shifts, you will only lose £40 of your deposit

No shows
If you don't turn up to one or more festivals and don't contact the office to let us know, you will forfeit your full deposit, and be denied from applying to future festivals with Oxfam.

If I have to cancel, can I get one of my friends to take my place?
No. We are not able to transfer deposits from one volunteer to another. Sometimes when campaigners cancel during the season we will open the place out to other campaigners to fill it, but that would be on a first come first served basis.

We know that people go to festivals to have a good time, but we are asking you to commit to staying sober for certain periods so you can do your shift. If you simply don’t show up for your shifts, you will lose your deposit, as well as having your wristband removed and being evicted from site.

If you come to see us when you are due to start your shift, regardless of the reasons for not being able to work, and we can rearrange it so you can make up the time you have missed, you will not be penalised, but we will make a record of the situation. This is very difficult to do as a campaigner as we only work during the day, so be responsible about your attitude to volunteering and your behaviour onsite.

No. We are not able to transfer deposits from one volunteer to another. Sometimes when campaigners cancel during the season we will open the place out to other trained campaigners to fill it, but that would be on a first come first served basis